Negative impacts of climate change on crop yields:
Hundreds of millions of
people in south Asia and south-east Asia will be affected by coastal
flooding and land loss..
Climate change has already cut into the global food supply and is fuelling wars and natural disasters, but governments are unprepared to protect those most at risk, according to a report from the UN's climate science panel.
The report is the first update in seven years from the UN's international panel of experts, which is charged with producing the definitive account of climate change.
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But it was the finding that climate change could threaten global food security that caught the attention of government officials from 115 countries who reviewed the report. "All aspects of food security are potentially affected by climate change," the report said. The scientists said there was enough evidence to say for certain that climate change is affecting food production on land and sea.
The rate of increase in crop yields is slowing – especially in wheat – raising doubts as to whether food production will keep up with the demand of a growing population. Fish catches in some areas of the tropics are projected to fall by between 40% and 60%, according to the report.
Overall, the report said, "Negative impacts of climate change on crop yields have been more common than positive impacts." Warming of more than two degrees would increase the risks of "severe, pervasive and irreversible" consequences, the report said.
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| Climate change, combined with poverty and economic shocks, could lead to war and drive people to leave their homes. |
The report also warned for the first time that climate change, combined with poverty and economic shocks, could lead to war and drive people to leave their homes. It also warned that hundreds of millions of people in south Asia and south-east Asia will be affected by coastal flooding and land loss by 2100.
"The main way that most people will experience climate change is through the impact on food: the food they eat, the price they pay for it, and the availability and choice that they have," said Tim Gore, head of food policy and climate change for Oxfam.
Friends of the Earth's executive director, Andy Atkins, said: "We can't continue to ignore the stark warnings of the catastrophic consequences of climate change on the lives and livelihoods of people across the planet.
"Giant strides are urgently needed to tackle the challenges we face, but all we get is tiny steps, excuses and delays from most of the politicians that are supposed to represent our interests. Governments across the world must stand up to the oil, gas and coal industries, and take their foot of the fossil fuel accelerator that's speeding us towards a climate disaster.
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At Sustainable Green Initiative, we plant trees to help the fight against climate change and also hunger, poverty and rural migration. By planting a tree through us, you help in doing your bit to mitigate your carbon footprint and carry on the fight against hunger, poverty and climate change.
