The presentation will give an overview of the interaction of rice production and global climate
change by encompassing the work conducted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and
its partners from national research agencies since 1991. Rice is a source of the greenhouse gas
methane. IRRI's research on this aspect has initially focused on the in-situ quantification and upsacling.
Since all rice growing nations have signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the
possible options for mitigating methane emissions from rice have gained more attention over recent
years. Rice production will also be affected by climate change. Adverse effects of climate change
could seriously threaten rice production levels -- unless preventive measures are taken to adjust rice
production systems. Recognizing the significance and urgency of the problem, IRRI has established
the ‘Rice and Climate Change Consortium’ in 2007 as a platform to deepen research jointly with
national research institutions on short-term and long-term adaptation of rice production systems. The
specific issues presently under investigation are (i) improved tolerance to higher temperatures, (ii)
intensification of rice production with higher resilience to more extreme events like droughts and
submergence and (iii) sea level rise in Asian mega-deltas.