From coffee to codfish: The foods that will get more expensive with climate change

This summer, climate change-fueled droughts and heatwaves have threatened food supplies across Europe.

The yields of rice in northern Italy, olive oil in Spain, and barley in the United Kingdom have all decreased dramatically due to environmental conditions.

As a result of the increased likelihood of extreme weather brought on by global warming, a number of foods will become scarcer worldwide.

This means that many of the daily essentials that people consume will become more expensive. Recent research indicates that climate change is now a serious threat to global food security.

The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES) described climate change as an “endemic and widespread” threat to food supplies in a report published in May. This is also exacerbated by rising living costs and the conflict in Ukraine.

In many regions of the world, droughts, heatwaves, flooding, and new pests prevent farmers from harvesting a reliable crop.

Since pre-industrial times, the global average temperature has risen by 1.1°C. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that if this temperature rises to 1.5°C, approximately 8% of the world’s arable land will become unusable.

If global warming reaches 1.5°C, approximately 8% of the world’s arable land will become unusable.

Due to dehydration, a reduction in pollination, and a sluggishness in photosynthesis, higher temperatures reduce crop yield. When plants are subjected to high temperatures and drought, their defenses fail and they become vulnerable to insect and disease-causing pathogen attacks.

Additionally, extreme weather is causing problems for livestock and fisheries. If efforts are not made to reduce carbon emissions, the problems will likely worsen.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently published a report confirming that human-induced climate change is making droughts, floods, wildfires, and heatwaves more severe and frequent.

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