Millions of people will face starvation as a result of severe weather patterns, specifically global warming, according to scientists.
The crux of the problem lies in the rising cost of food as a result of extreme temperatures, droughts and floods that will affect farming practices. It is believed that staple food prices in Africa and Asia could more than double in price by 2050 and scientists speaking to the Observer related that food insecurity risks are turning portions of Africa into disaster zones.
The scientific reminder comes in the wake of two major conferences aimed at discussing the problem of feeding the more than nine billion people predicted to live on Earth by 2050. Key figures of a number of organizations including UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the Consortium Group on International Agricultural Research attended the events. Former U.S. vice president Al Gore was also present.
"Food production will have to rise 60% by 2050 just to keep pace with expected global population increase and changing demand," Frank Rijsberman, head of the world's 15 international CGIAR crop research centers, said. "Climate change comes on top of that. The annual production gains we have come to expect... will be taken away by climate change. We are not so worried about the total amount of food produced so much as the vulnerability of the one billion people who are without food already and who will be hit hardest by climate change. They have no capacity to adapt."
The U.S. will suffer its own agricultural consequences from climate change, with a U.S. National Climate Assessment report stating that such changes will likely lead to less effective herbicides and increased pests.
"Critical thresholds are already being exceeded," the report states. "Many regions will experience declines in crop and livestock production from increased stress due to weeds, diseases, insect pests and other climate change-induced stresses. Climate disruptions to agricultural production have increased in the recent past and are projected to increase further."
The report also details the effects of climate change in Ukraine, Russia and Australia. In 2010, wheat production in Russia dropped by 33 percent as a result of climate-driven factors, along with a 19 percent drop in Ukraine. Other climate events resulted in a nine percent drop in Australia and a 14 percent drop in Canada.
A separate study funded by the U.S. government indicates that areas of Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam could see temperatures rise twice as much as previously anticipated, creating drastic consequences for food supplies.
"We are entering an uncertain and risky period," UN World Food Programme director Ertharin Cousin said. "Climate change is the game changer that increases exposure to high and volatile food prices, and increases the vulnerability of the hungry poor, especially those living in conflict zones or areas of marginal agricultural productivity. We must act quickly to protect the world's poorest people."
The conferences follow a study indicating that global warming will lead the Arctic to become a lush, green landscape.
