Climate change drastically alters the state of the planet, and as a result, our precious farmland also takes a hit. In 2017, climate shocks and unpredictable weather events were responsible for emergency-level food insecurity worldwide. Because of this, 29 million people needed humanitarian aid with 3.9 million of them requiring urgent life-saving assistance.
It’s a hard truth to accept that our own nutritional sustenance is to blame for a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions. Food production and consumption account for anywhere between 19%-29% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and if left unchecked by 2050 this could grow by 32%. Existing farmland and the policies they employ are already taking a hit as the more GHG in the atmosphere, the less productive these fields become, The rising average temperatures slow plant growth and for extreme weather events, destruction of crops comes in its wake.
Standard farming practices don’t exactly help the situation either, meaning vulnerable populations like children and impoverished communities are further at risk. If trends continue, by 2050 we could see 4.8 million more children suffering from chronic hunger and skyrocketed food prices. Excessive tilling, usage of heavy machinery on farmland, and the dangerous encouragement by US federal crop insurance for farmer to continue planting on depleted land bring us closer and closer to a future of extreme global undernourishment and food crises.
For the 821 million individuals already suffering from hunger worldwide, these projections aren’t looking good.
Take a look at this infographic for more detail on the state of climate change and our nutritional needs and how both small and large changes can help slow these effects.
Infographic Courtesy of Supplement Timing https://www.supplementtiming.com/climate-change-nutrition/
