In the early days of the universe there was only CO2 and Methane. Then just one bacterium started the production of oxygen or we would not all be here today discussing our possible demise ! Historically, most of the land in the globe, which is under vineyards today, was originally under water or covered by forests. Forests retain and absorb huge amounts of CO2, which is one of the reasons that deforestation is both so tragic and so dangerous.
One scientist informed us that mankind is producing some 6.3 billion tons of CO2 annually.CO2 emissions are known to scientists as “Carbon Footprints” and are the cause of all the trouble. Many famous speakers from different countries attended this highly international congress to share their knowledge and experience. Amongst them were celebrities of the wine world, such as Dr. Richard Smart from Australia, mainly known for Canopy management and viticulture.

Pascal Chatonnet from France, a renowned oenologist and research scientist. Michel Rolland, also from France, a famous worldwide winemaker. Pancho Campo from Spain, President of the Academia del Vino de España. Jacques Lurton from France, an international oenologist and winemaker. Dr. Hans Schultz from Germany, leader of research into climate change at Geisenheim Research Institute. Miguel Torres from Spain, a respected international Spanish winemaker actively confronting climate change. Bruno Prats from France, an international fine wine producer, former owner of Château Cos D’Estournel in Bordeaux.
Peter Hayes from Australia, President of the OIV. Besides these famous personalities from the wine business there were also purely scientific speakers such as Bernard Seguin from France’s National Research Institute (INRA). The most famous of all the speakers was Al Gore, the 45th Vice-President of the USA and author of the book and film “An Inconvenient Truth”. Nobel prize winner and winner of the Asturian Prize for International Cooperation 2007.

All speakers agreed that we are 90% responsible for GlobalWarming. Solar radiation and ultra violet radiation appear not to be able to account for more than some 10%. The whole
globe is warming and the rate of that warming has doubled during the last 100 years. The Northern Hemisphere is the most affected because, in the Southern, the vaster amounts of
sea play a moderating effect. Glacier melt and retreat at the North Pole is massive and accelerating. This warming process is known as the “Greenhouse effect” and has recently speeded up alarmingly.

The CO2 that we are creating and emitting is trapped, cannot escape into space, is sent back and thus creates build up. The ozone layer acts as the barrier. Ideally CO2 emissions should balance absorption and escape, but today are hugely greater. The energy created by the CO2 is measured in Watts.
Around 429-629 grams of CO2 =1 Watt. Anti-nuclearites are unhappy that nuclear power is entirely without CO2 and a supposedly healthy alternative energy. 1° of latitude change gives about 0.6°C change in temperature (some speakers said 1°C) and moving 100 miles to the north also about 0.6°C .Our speakers predicted anything from 1°C to 4°C warming over the next 100 years. If the increase is between 0.2°C and 0.6°C per decade, then it will amount to some 2.0°C over the next 50 years.

Portugal could be 2.8°C warmer than it is today. The wine world, in all its facets, is calculated to produce around 0.1% of the world’s carbon footprints. How anybody can calculate this figure is beyond my wildest imagining. Ideally of course we should leave no footprint at all.

 

Wine is only produced in quite a narrow band of latitudes. All the vines in the world making quality wine are to be found there. Global warming will produce more violent weather phenomena – floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, wildfires due to drought, longer periods without rain, more violent rain when it comes, glacier melt and rise in sea levels. Much of this will affect our vineyards.
The UK and Denmark will benefit hugely. FINE wine will be able to be produced within the next 50 to 100 years. Champagne producers, who need relatively high acidities in their base wines, are already seriously studying the chalk and calcareous soils in the South of England.

If the increase is as much as 4°C Bordeaux will be fi nished as a fine wine region, but this is worst case scenario. With this amount of warming Napa would only be good for Table Grapes. The big winner would be Chile, where vineyards have room to move nearer the coast or up into higher elevations near the mountains. Tasmania, New Zealand, China and Northern Europe as a whole would profi t, Southern Europe lose out. However some areas are trapped with nowhere to go to.

Bordeaux is very much a case in point. “Move the vineyards 150 kilometres North,” say the scientists – “I am in the middle of Cognac,” I say. “Oh ! Then move them 150 kilometres West” – “I am in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean !” “Oh ! Well then move them to a higher elevation” – “the nearest is the Pyrenees and this is South. Also in Bordeaux we call a 50 metre high gravel mound a hill !” Oh ! What about East, no that would be warmer.
I am sorry Bordeaux. You are trapped”. Totally unrealistic !! Another suggestion by the scientists is “change the grape variety”. Immediate shouts of objection from Jerez and Burgundy. “What would Burgundy be without Pinot Noir ? What would sherry be without Palomino ?” Unrealistic !

Between the various speakers they came up with the following scenario. I stress that not all speakers agreed on all points – far from it ! Greater evaporation, more extreme weather conditions, less cold winters and hotter summers. Also less rainfall in some places, more in others, more violent rainstorms, more frequent and extreme heat waves, longer periods of drought and risks of wildfires.
There will be shorter maturing cycles and growing periods (up to 1 month), earlier bud break, fl owering, colour change and harvest, We will suffer increased risk of frost damage. There will be lower acidity in the wine and more alcohol. We shall have less water availability and greater stress and also changes in pests and diseases (the multicoloured Asian ladybeetle is already in the UK, Italy and Belgium).

Potassium content in the wine will change and hotter temperatures at harvest time will require greater water usage. Higher Ph in the wine, loss of colour, loss of varietal fl avours, more jammyness, bigger yields and potential lower quality will be other effects.
One of the chief factors among the above will be water use, conservation and availability. It will be important to sort out competition between urban and agricultural need and usage. Water must be conserved preciously wherever possible. The improvement of cover crop management can increase organic matter and improve water retention. Organic matter is a subject of discussion and disagreement.

Get the politicians to ACT rather than talk, aided by the voices and support of the producers and the consumers. Plant vineyards at higher elevations (where possible), move
vineyards northwards or nearer to coast (where possible), change varieties (see comments on Xeres and Burgundy), adapt the culture of the vine (more details below), economise water in every way possible (see above). Create new wetlands. Stop using glass. The production of CO2 in the wine world comes above all from its distribution, packaging and transport rather than the vineyards.

Harvest at night. BREED and develop new varieties with the required characteristics. Use less vigorous varieties and varieties less greedy for water. Michel Rolland suggested Holistic agriculture with adapted pruning systems, desuckering and green harvesting Scientists advise abandoning quick maturing clones and using slower ones, using the new and highly technical processes of removing alcohol from wine, sugar from must etc. However, these are costly !
Prats says give the grapes the correct amount of shade (better canopy management). Control potassium content.Use yeasts that produce less alcohol or add some to the others, decrease fermentation temperature and reduce alcohol by all possible natural means before resorting to  technical ones.

AL GORE was quite naturally the highlight, the personality, the icing on the cake and the chief attraction of the conference. What a triumph to have as a speaker an ex vice-president of the USA and one of the world’s leading champions in the cause of fi ghting global warming. Al has published a book and made a fi lm about it by the name of “An Uncomfortable Truth”. Many people came especially for him. Regretfully, almost at the last minute, the organisers were informed that he was unable to come but instead would give a satellite videoconference from his home in Nashville. This was a bitter disappointment.

The audience were to be allowed to ask him questions directly. He stressed the need for knowledgeable leadership and worldwide adaptation to the crisis. The crisis is here, too late to prevent it, but accept it, face it and act. Increase research; focus on change from present fuels to renewable energy sources (solar etc.) and more effi cient use of energy. Ideally, limit CO2 emissions.
Tax carbon dioxide. The USA must ratify the Kyoto treaty and the new one planned for 2009. Industry MUST respond. Above all we must adapt and change our way of thinking. He was very political. Talked about social and political change. Described the situation as the human civilisation versus the earth A global martial plan is needed. The change has to be on a personal, organisational, industrial, regional and global basis.

We must develop new business models. Saving the environment CAN be profi table. He quoted the African proverb “if you want to go quick then go alone, if you want to go far then go together”. “We must go BOTH far and quickly”, he said. During the interview he was asked some twenty questions, a number of them totally unconnected with the subject in hand.
He answered smoothly and professionally and to the delight of the Spaniards present showed a very real knowledge of Spanish vineyards and their probable climatic problems. He has his own scientifi c committee, ten of whose members are on the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He fi nished by telling us that a second fi lm is on the way.“Let us believe in the future and not in the past” !

One thing is sure. THE PROBLEMS WILL NOT GO AWAY OBEDIENTLY AND CANNOT BE SOLVED JUST BY REGULATIONS. Some speakers, referring to the over-regulation in France, wondered whether Europe was flexible enough to adapt without some relaxation of present legislation ! A subject for all of us to reflect upon.

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