National Public Radio informs that according to a new study that looks at climate change\’s possible effects on barley crops, the cost of beer is likely to rise in the U.S. and other countries because of increased risks from heat and drought.
The new study says beer prices could double, because of the price of malted barley, which is a key ingredient in the world\’s favorite alcoholic drink.
In Ireland, a leading beer-consuming nation, prices could triple. Other countries would most likely drink less beer, as their farmers are expected to export more barley to countries that would struggle to grow enough barley under hotter, drier conditions.
The researchers acknowledge that the price of beer is not the most concerning impact of future climate change. But in the study published in the journal Nature Plants, the scientists say they wanted to use beer as an example to show the deep and wide-ranging effects of increasingly extreme weather.
So, beer drinkers in Ireland, Canada, Poland and Italy are likely to see prices increase the most, according to the report. Beer-loving countries Belgium and the U.K. are also in the top 10.