The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II has once again highlighted the dangers that climate change poses to the agriculture industry and for food production across the world. The report underscored that climate change will adversely affect agricultural systems and significantly reduce the food production levels of staples like cereals, rice and more.
Here are some food items in particular that you’ll be seeing less of and paying more for due to climate change.
Chocolate
The price of the world’s favourite snack will be seeing an increase this year as production levels of cocoa beans struggle to keep pace with demand across the globe. With climate change making several chocolate-growing regions too dry and too hot to sustain large yields and the world’s chocolate demand continuing to increase, chocolate prices will continue to soar.
Rice
Rice is the most consumed food item in the world. It is consumed as a staple by nearly 3.5 billion people. But climate change is threatening major growing regions with rising sea levels and salinification. As major growing areas go underwater, the price of this staple is expected to rise sharply.
Wheat
Production of wheat, another staple produce for a large part of the world, will take a hit as the global average temperatures continue to increase. Droughts and warmer weather will reduce the potential growing areas of wheat, contributing to increased prices of all wheat-based items like bread, pasta and more.
Corn
Corn is a staple produce of Central American, South American and African countries. But the crop is highly sensitive to temperature changes and requires significant water inputs. As temperatures increase, droughts and hotter climates will reduce corn yields across the world.
Wine
Growing grapevines is an extremely temperature-sensitive process as many winegrower would say. Unfortunately, rising sea levels, erratic rainfall patterns, floods, increased average temperatures, and disruption in weather patterns due to climate change, can make wine growing regions unsuitable for grape vines.
Coffee
Just like chocolate, coffee-growing regions are also under threat from invasive species, outbreaks of the “coffee rust” fungus, and droughts that accompany increased global temperatures. As the total production area of coffee beans reduces, and demand continues to grow, prices of these dark beans are expected to reach much higher in the coming years.
