Sara Nair

Many argue that rapid technological change will raise agricultural yields so much by late this century that any reduction caused by global warming would easily be more than offset. But technological change is a false panacea for several reasons. First, the green revolution has already slowed. Calculations based on UN Food and Agricultural Organization data show that grain yields, which rose at an annual rate of 2.7 per cent in the 1960s and 1970s, have risen at only a 1.6 per cent annual rate in the past quarter century. Although rising agricultural prices might provide incentives that would slow or reverse this decline, such a response is not assured. Second, even if there is no further slowdown, there is likely to be a close race between rising food demand and rising output. Global food demand is expected to approximately triple by the 2080s because of the higher world population and higher incomes. It also seems quite likely that a sizable share of land will be shifted to the production of biomass for ethanol fuel. As a result, there is a rather precarious balance between supply and demand, which would be seriously worsened by a major adverse shock from global warming

Which of the following is/are the most rational and logical inference/inferences that can be made from the passage?

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