Jim Salinger, a climate scientist at New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, has warned that Australia and New Zealand may face shortages of beer because of climate change.

He said that climate change likely will cause a decline in the production of malting barley in parts of New Zealand and particularly in Australia. Malting barley is a key ingredient of beer. “It will mean either there will be pubs without beer or the cost of beer will go up,” Salinger told the Institute of Brewing and Distilling convention.

New Zealand and Australian brewer Lion Nathan’s corporate affairs director Liz Read said climate change already was forcing up the price of malted barley, aluminum and sugar.