This review was undertaken to draw together research on how climate change impacts sugarcane production, and to assess the implications of climate change for the sugarcane industry, as well as possible response options. Much of the extant research examines how changes in climate lead to changes in primary production; however, few studies consider how climate change translates into industry-wide impacts and economic consequences across the sugarcane value chain. Of the 90 studies we reviewed (published as journal articles, proceedings, and book chapters), 61 assess observed and/or projected impacts of climate change on sugarcane production. These studies reach largely different conclusions regarding how increases in air temperature or atmospheric carbon dioxide levels impact sugarcane production. These mixed results can be attributed to differences between the studies in terms of methods, time frames, and growing regions, which all limit cross-study comparability. A total of 17 studies focus on the adaptation to observed and/or projected impacts of climate change, such as changed management procedures or farming practices, but there is limited evidence regarding successful adaptation outcomes. In addition, a separate stream of papers discusses mitigating energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the sugarcane production process, often with a view to reducing environmental impacts. Our review concludes by outlining the pathways for future research, highlighting that further insights are needed in particular regarding the economic consequences of climate change for the sugarcane industry. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
How to cite this article:WIREs Clim Change 2018, 9:e498. doi: 10.1002/wcc.498 INTRODUCTION T he amount of sugarcane produced worldwide is over four times that produced in 1965 and has now reached over 2 billion tons globally.1 The industry contributes significantly to gross domestic product in major sugarcane producing economies such as Brazil, India, and China. From the late 1990s onward, driven by growing concern about climate change and its potential economic consequences for the agricultural sector, researchers began to study the impacts of climate change on sugarcane production to better understand how projected changes in variables such as air temperature, rainfall, and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentration influence sugarcane production. [2][3][4][5][6][7] This has created a body of knowledge of how changes in climate lead to changes in the primary production of sugarcane. However, there are few studies that focus on how climate change translates into industry-wide impacts across the sugarcane value chain.8-10 Industry stakeholders
of 34and researchers have therefore started to call for a better understanding not only of how climate change impacts agricultural production, but also of the possible economic consequences resulting from climate change for specific agricultural industries.
11,12This review was undertaken to draw together research on how climate change impacts sugarcane...
