What's in our future? an earth ‘twin’ will tell us: Weather forecasting and climate modelling have come a long way over the past 50 years

MISFORTUNES never come singly, says an old proverb. And so, as the Covid-19 pandemic continued wreaking havoc in the world, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed in January 2021 that prices of key crops had been rising at the highest rate in six years. Wars, pest infestations, droughts, hurricanes and floods disrupted agriculture in many parts of the world over the course of the ill-fated 2020 and suddenly, there was less produce left in global reserves. The price of soy shot up by 56 per cent compared to the previous year; corn gained 45 per cent. While not as serious as the global food crises of the late 2000s, the trend was concerning especially for poorer countries, according to FAO.