Climate change to affect fruits, nuts

WASHINGTON - Climate change is expected to alter the global fruits and nuts industry dramatically as crops such as pistachios and cherries struggle amid rising temperatures, researchers said.

A study said that even if polluters took greater action to cut carbon emissions, the effect of climate change will likely be severe enough that the nearly $100 billion-a-year industry will need to reassess planning.

The study, published in May by the online journal PLoS One, expected fruit and nut trees to be highly affected in California, the southeastern United States, China's southwestern Yunnan province and southern and southwestern Australia.