Global warming may spark worldwide beer crisis: Experts

London, Apr 9 : Global warming may soon spark worldwide booze crisis, experts have warned. Experts say that barley crops could fail in the heat that may lead to the scarcity of one of the key ingredients of beer.

"It will mean either there will be pubs without beer or the cost of beer will go up," the Daily Star quoted Jim Salinger, a climate scientist, as telling New Zealand's Institute of Brewing and Distilling convention.

He said that the crisis could be prevented by developing heat-resistant strains of malting barley.

"It will provide a lot of challenges," he added.

However, Mark Hastings from British Beer and Pub Association said that brewers were already facing barley shortages, which were forcing the pint price to go up.

"It's already happening and will get worse. Land that was used for crops is being given over to biofuels, so barley prices are up," he said.

The association had warned last month that pint prices were likely to go up to 4 pounds in parts of the UK and global warming may push prices higher.

ANI