The link between climate change and food prices
photo by IRRI Images (source: Flickr Creative Commons)
The UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Agriculture and Food for Development issued a report criticizing the British government for cutting aid for agriculture in developing countries. An article from OneWorld UK describes the APPG report as detailing the link between food and security, especially in the developing world. Population growth, disease and climate change present challenges to keep up with global food production, yet so far the number and percentage of people going hungry are growing.
The report stated that with the global population set to rise at 6 million per month and almost double from 1 billion to 2 billion in Africa, simply put, the world must double its production of food – safe food, on less land, with less fresh water, using less energy, fertiliser and pesticide – by 2030, whilst at the same time bringing down sharply the level of greenhouse-gas emissions emitted globally.
–OneWorld.net
Australian Food News covers the release of another report by Australia’s The Climate Institute entitled ‘Food Prices and Emissions Trading’. The report claims that food prices are expected to modestly rise under climate change legislation such as carbon trading schemes. But it is extreme weather events like droughts – which are associated with climate change – that could severely affect farming production and food prices.
The Garnaut Report warned that unmitigated climate change would all but wipe out farming in the Murray Darling Basin by the end of the century and called for global efforts including Australia reducing 2000 carbon pollution levels by 90% by mid-century.
–Australian Food News
For more on how climate change might impact global food production, check out this video presentation from the Economist entitled ‘Climate change and food’:
‘Two models differ in details but agree that food will grow more expensive as the earth warms’
by Graham Land
Additional resources:
Graham Land grew up in Washington, D.C., where he was part of the local hardcore punk scene. Through this unique musical movement he became involved in grass roots anti-racist activism, animal rights and Ecology. Since 2000 Graham has lived in Europe, earning an MA in history from Malmö University in Sweden and working as a musician, English teacher, sports therapist, customer service agent and writer. Graham has a podcast with author Saci Lloyd and is currently pretending to work on his first novel.
Popularity: -0% [?]
Tags: agriculture, australia, climate change, emissions, farming, food, global, production, UK
Leave a Reply