Impact of Climate Change on Food Production Could Cause Over 500,000 Extra Deaths

India, March 3, 2016 (Newswire.com) - ​​The impact of climate change on food production could cause over 500,000 extra deaths in 2050 (so just one year). Additionally, three-quarters of all climate-related deaths due to changes in food production are estimated to occur in China and India. Overall, climate change will cut anticipated improvement in global food availability by about a third.

The Lancet–  a well respected UK medical journal –  has published this  groundbreaking research  today. The Research was done by Dr. Marco Springmann (principle author) and Dr. Alistair Woodward  from Oxford University under the  Oxford Martin Program on the Future of Food on the impacts of climate change on food production and the related health impacts. 

"This report warns of fundamental shifts in our relationship with food which will cause loss of life, livelihood and culture. For people to live healthy lives, we must adapt to inevitable climate impacts whilst mitigating to avoid the worst before it's too late. "In recent years, air pollution and climate impacts have driven a significant uptick in climate action in India and China. The finding that three-quarters of food and climate-related deaths are expected in these country's presents an even more compelling case.

Camilla Born,, Policy Advisor Climate Diplomacy, E3G's

 

 Lies Craeynest, EU policy advisor on food security and climate change, Oxfam International said- "While in many developing countries, an El Niño super-charged by climate change is bringing droughts, flooding and ruining harvests today, putting millions of vulnerable people at risk of hunger and worsening poverty, this report shows that Europe will not be shielded from climate impacts on food security. 

"Changes in agricultural production in Europe, as well as climate impacts across international food supply chains, will have a heavy toll in Europe too.  Europe is heavily dependent on food imports, often from countries that are at very high risk of climate impacts. As EU environment ministers gather in Brussels on Friday to discuss the impact of the Paris Agreement on EU climate and energy policy, this should be a warning call that there is no time to waste in ramping up EU climate ambition, as lives are on the line, globally, but also in Europe."

Tonya Rawe, Senior Advisor for Policy and Research, Food & Nutrition Security Unit, CARE USA said- “Coupled with inequality, climate change is a major threat to efforts to address hunger and malnutrition. Tackling climate change is not optional: it is imperative if we are to achieve the new Global Goal to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030.

"Climate change impacts all aspects of food security, from production to stable food supplies and prices, from vulnerable or marginalized people’s ability to access food to the ability to maximize the nutritional value of food. From working with food insecure households, we know that the impacts of hunger and climate change are highly localized and vulnerability varies widely among regions, within countries, communities, and even households."

The study is the first of its kind to assess the impact of climate change on diet composition and bodyweight. Previous studies have looked at the impacts of climate change on diet, including an influential 2014 World Health Organisation study looking at the effects of climate change on selected causes of death. This research showed under nutrition causing 85,000 deaths. The broader more comprehensive and sophisticated analysis employed by Springmann therefore highlights how the health impact on diet have been significantly underestimated. 

 The study shows Twice as many climate-related deaths were associated with reductions in fruit and vegetable consumption than with climate-related increases in the prevalence of underweight, and most climate-related deaths were projected to occur in south and east Asia.

Adoption of climate-stabilization pathways( by cutting emissions could have substantial benefits)would reduce the number of climate-related deaths by 29–71%, depending on their stringency.

We can infer an overall decrease in the availability of food of 10·3% as a result of climate change based on the agriculture-economic model projections.