To most, the threat of climate change to the global food supply may seem like a problem for the future, but its impact can be observed today. The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects reduced crop yields as global temperatures continue to rise, while the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has highlighted the immediate need to increase the resilience of global agricultural sectors. As food production becomes more stressed by changing weather patterns, the potential to destabilize global food systems and threaten food security rises.
In addition to the long-term need to build resiliency in Earth’s food supply chain, the farm-to-table movement and increased legalization of cannabis have led to a rapid escalation in the quantity and size of grow room facilities throughout the U.S. Largely unregulated as recently as a few years ago, these facilities could operate with few code-mandated energy efficiency requirements. As municipalities have started taking notice of grow room power consumption, new regulations are slowly being put in place mandating system efficiency requirements.