Changing climate trends is a global issue, the effects of which people have found increasingly unmanageable. In the last century, the temperature of earth has risen by 0.8ºC – with most of the increase occurring over the past 35 years. In ten years, from 2010 to 2018, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose from 384 ppm to 407 ppm, as measured at an observatory in Hawaii. Precipitation patterns have changed, causing either inundation or desertification in different parts of the world. This climate issue is amplified by the “greenhouse effect,” which is partially the result of human activity. It has contributed to several problems including “food insecurity.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) categorized food security into four parts: availability, access, utilization and stability of food. Recent figures of FAO estimate that about 124 million people in 51 countries do not have access to safe or nutritious food. On the other hand, food stability means that people must have access to adequate food at all times, not risk losing access to food as a consequence of sudden shocks, as in an economic crisis, or cyclical events as in seasonal floods.
Climate change has a direct impact on food utilization. Food utilization expounds on the need of the food being produced to be nutritious and safe to consume in all aspects. A common misconception, i.e. “food demand being met is enough” is clarified through this particular dimension of food security by helping us understand food security is much more complex than simply overcoming food shortages.
A recent report published by the UN, confirms the overwhelmingly negative impacts climate change has had on health. The Ex-Executive Director of WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, who has more than thirty years of experience in public health, also believes that both go hand in hand. This has particularly proved to be an issue in developing countries such as Bangladesh. According to the 2015 climate change vulnerability index, Bangladesh’s economic losses over the past 40 years were estimated at $12 billion, adversely affecting the health of people. Human health, when paired with food security and nutrition, is of utmost importance to sustain daily life. Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels leads to higher concentrations of carbon dioxide. Dr. Samuel Myers finds that increased carbon dioxide concentrations are not favourable for crop growth.
Conversely, there is another view that higher temperatures caused by global warming can be beneficial for food availability. This of course, only pertains to a regional perspective. Brklacich predicted the expansion of agricultural land in Canada and in the colder climates of the United States. Even though this study is relatively dated, Rod Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture feels the same way as he states that, “Climate change may create some opportunities for growing crops in northern latitudes”. Concurrently, the WHO states that the frequency of climate change caused extremities has tripled since the 1960s. Such unforeseen weather events have caused a decrease in crop output in affected areas and a significant rise in malnutrition and undernourishment related cases, e.g., famines in Somalia.
The Climate Science Special Report is a landmark of reporting on effects of climate change in the world, and especially in the USA. However, President Trump of USA trivialized this report by simply stating, “I don’t believe it.”. He also withdrew from the Paris Climate Change Agreement. His knowledge about climate change seems to be quite limited as his tweets show, e.g., “It’s extremely cold in NY & NJ—not good for flood victims. Where is global warming?”.
Increasing emission of greenhouse gases also has a direct impact on a wide range of diseases including vector, water and foodborne diseases. The inter-governmental panel on climate change explored the relation of climatic conditions and diseases. Their report also stressed upon the increased risks of food poisoning in utilizing conventional foods in mild climates. The IPCC reports mention how relevant studies have evaluated the effect climate change has on the prevalence of salmonellosis and have brought about increased diarrheal cases in adults and children especially in Austria, the Pacific Islands, and Israel. Such findings assert that certain diseases indirectly stem from changing climate patterns. These reports add to the overall credibility of the argument.
Excessive rainfall accompanied by other hazards, for instance, flooding, can lead to a rise in water-borne diseases. Such was seen in Pakistan when the major floods of 2010 and 2014 caused colossal damage to the health and living conditions of the public. In 2010, UN officials confirmed that this climate-change driven hazard resulted in a loss of production on 0.84 million acres of agricultural land. It can hence be deduced that the extent of its damage will be felt most where infrastructure and sanitation are the least developed. Subsequently, this raises the number of people susceptible to water-borne diseases and reduces their ability to utilize ‘safe’ food effectively.
For a long time, severe food shortages around the world have been associated solely with natural disasters. Climatic hazards are only the tip of the iceberg as food insecurity itself originates from a complex combination of social and economic and variables.
According to the FAO, there is enough food to sustain the world’s population. This forms the basis of a paradoxical conundrum, that we have “lots of food, in too few places.” Indisputably, economic factors influence a key determinant of food security, i.e. food access. It refers to the ability of an individual and at a collective level to purchase enough food to fulfill dietary requirements.
Food security improves as economic prosperity increases. Furthermore, climate change can cause a decrease in national and individual incomes, e.g. tenants on farms could lose their income if there is sporadic rainfall. In effect, it jeopardizes their access to food. Because of climatic changes, they could also fall sick and lose their incomes. This shows the extent to which climate change can affect food access.
In addition, global warming can affect trade in two major ways. Either, naturally occurring hazards could block transportation e.g. sea, rail, road etc., or it could directly affect crop productivity. The main struggle is for those who suffer greatly in poverty and do not have the adequate financial resources to enable food to be transported to the area. Such was seen in Somalia in 2010-2012 when nearly 260,000 people lost their lives in a severe famine. In contrast to this, in the United States, where droughts are a repetitive feature of California’s climate, it is still one of the most productive states of the country. This reinforces the idea that economic forces are a dominant driver determining food insecurity.
It is not difficult for one to observe that social and economic factors are intertwined. Once again, climate change can have either direct or indirect impacts and hence, be the tipping point of an an existent issue. For example, farmers losing their incomes for an extended period could lead to them falling victim to a cycle of poverty. In such a condition; it is important to notice the role of climate change in aggravating the issues either directly or indirectly.
We can try to treat the symptoms by trying to create more wealth by using more of the fossil fuels and then using a part of the capital for health and nutrition, and ignore the change. This would lead us into uncharted territory and maybe disaster. On the other hand, we can take a proactive approach and try to reduce the rate of climate change to a manageable level. We should manage carbon emissions and other factors accelerating climate change. This line of action would address the issue of food insecurity as well.
Climate change is a threat to everyone on this plant. Climate change has direct and indirect impacts on all four categories of food insecurity, especially it’s utilization and access. An individual’s social status and a nation’s economy are major determinants as to how they cope with prevailing natural disasters, inclement and unpredictable weather. It’s harmful effects to people around the world cannot be controlled until we initiate proper mitigation protocol.
Conclusively, the climate is changing and this change seems to be permanent. How we deal with it will determine the future of our planet. We need to adopt different and innovative courses of actions to ensure a sustainable future.
(Noor is a student in A-Levels, has interests in Social Progress, and is studying to become a doctor. She can be reached at [email protected])
