Climate Experience:
Avocado grower experiencing low harvests; summer 2018/19 only managed approximately 10% of normal yield.
Explanation:
- Temperature is the main climate factor affecting avocado yield, hot weather can cause sunburn damage and small fruit, temperatures above 35 degrees can reduce flowering.[1]
- January 2019 had a mean average of 37.4 degrees,[2]almost 6 degrees above the long term average.[3]
- The region has been getting hotter with 20 out of the past 21 years seeing above average temperatures.[4]
Ramifications:
- As climate warms, daily temperature ranges will narrow in the tropics and sub tropics, reducing the overlap between the open stages of male and female plant parts and thus pollination chances.[5]
- Avocados will become smaller, more expensive and harder to grow.[6]
What can be done?
- Email your local MP and tell them that action on climate is important to you and explain the impacts being felt in your area. One email might not feel like much but most politicians consider it to be representative of 100 citizens.
- Get involved with local groups taking action on climate, in this community look out for Wodonga Albury Towards Climate Health (WATCH) group.
- Help support the Act on Climate collective by donating; we are leading the charge for climate action. Your donation helps in advancing policies that prevent climate change from getting worse, we aim to empower communities and build a strong pro-climate-action constituency that governments can’t ignore, and as an added bonus it’s tax-deductable.
- Get involved with Act on Climate. We meet every Monday at 6pm (upstairs at 312 Smith St, Collingwood) and welcome all newcomers to join in the fight for climate justice. If you are unable to attend, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the latest campaign.
* We aim to keep our material as accurate and as relevant as possible. Working with climate science, a field that is being constantly updated, keeps us on our toes. Information on this site was gathered on June 1 2019; if you notice information that needs updating please let us know. For the full reference list please see the following.
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[1]Mark Howden, Simon Newett, and Peter Deuter, “Climate Change-Risks and Opportunities for the Avocado Industry” (paper presented at the proceedings of the New Zealand and Australian Avocado Grower’s Conference. Holland, P.(Eds.) Tauranga, New Zealand, 2005).1-3.
[2]“Albury-Wodonga January 2019 Daily Weather Observations”, Bureau of Meteorology, published April 17 2019, http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/201901/html/IDCJDW2002.201901.shtml
[3]“Wodonga Climate”, Weather Zone, accessed April 23 2019, http://www.weatherzone.com.au/climate/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=82056
[4]“Australian Climate Change Site Data – Rutherglen”, Bureau of Meteorology, access April 23 2019, http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/hqsites/site_data.cgi?variable=maxT&area=aus&station=082039&dtype=anom&period=annual&ave_yr=0
[5]Howden, Newett, and Deuter, “Climate Change-Risks and Opportunities for the Avocado Industry.”, 9.