Food insecurity linked to climate change impacts will be one of the most pressing consequences of a changing climate. Many areas of the globe –– particularly in Africa –– lack basic food security. Droughts and floods aggravate already bad situations, reducing yields and sometimes causing crop failure, further weakening already vulnerable populations.
This week, we'll explore just a few examples of the impacts of climate change on our global food security, recognizing that the impacts are complex, intertwined, and far-reaching. These examples include:
Sometimes, climate change impacts create winners and losers. It's important to understand that climate change leading to food insecurity is more nuanced than it's hotter here and we can't grow food. Climate shifts happen regionally and it's important to understand what that looks like at a smaller scale. Take a look at this map of anticipated agricultural yields in the US by the end of the 21st century. What do you notice?
The issue is more complicated than deciding to follow the climatic conditions with our farming. What does this mean for land use planning, both in the places which stand to lose productivity and those which stand to gain?
In a changing climate with predominant warming trends, we're seeing the lengthening of our growing seasons (as defined by the period of time with frost-free days). Given what we understand about the increased pressures to feed a growing global population, a longer growing season sounds like it might be the silver lining of climate change impacts we've been searching for, doesn't it? Let's take a closer look.
A longer growing season does mean that some crops and forests are growing for longer periods of time each year; sequestering more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere - good news! But, longer growing seasons for good plants also mean longer growing seasons for less desirable plants. Remember when we looked at the lengthening of seasonal allergy seasons when we talked about human health? Plants like ragweed will enjoy these longer growing seasons, too (EPA, 2016 [11]).
Links
[1] https://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/newsroom/wfp229182.pdf?_ga=2.178975460.1755706057.1571594290-948000668.1571594290
[2] https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/10/
[3] https://www.ipcc-data.org/guidelines/pages/glossary/glossary_r.html
[4] https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/climate-change-and-agriculture
[5] https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/downloads/NCA4_Ch07_Ecosystems_Full.pdf
[6] https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-and/climate-chocolate
[7] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-06/is-climate-change-coming-for-your-champagne
[8] https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2018/09/climate-change-could-harm-your-hoppy-brews/
[9] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/30/avocado-california-climate-change-affecting-crops-2050
[10] https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/10/25/658588158/5-major-crops-in-the-crosshairs-of-climate-change
[11] https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-ragweed-pollen-season
[12] https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-length-growing-season
[13] https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/our-changing-climate/frost-free-season