{"id":14570,"date":"2024-04-28T18:33:57","date_gmt":"2024-04-28T18:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revolutionnaire.co\/be\/?p=14570"},"modified":"2024-05-25T23:04:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-25T23:04:45","slug":"the-link-between-climate-change-and-food-insecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionnaire.co\/be\/the-link-between-climate-change-and-food-insecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"The Link Between Climate Change and Food Insecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before the pandemic, about 1 in 9 U.S. residents faced food insecurity. That\u2019s 37 million Americans– and more than 11 million kids– without enough food on the table (Feeding America<\/a>). Yep– more than the entire population of Canada, and 10% of the global population is undernourished (United Nations<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we can\u2019t turn a blind eye to the needs of food insecure households in high-income countries, we can focus more on the middle and lower-income countries when considering how food insecurity and climate change intersect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why\u2019s that? Higher income countries (HICs) have already seen a shift in their economies: they\u2019ve moved away from dependence on agriculture, crops and livestock, and have become more diversified in their economic activities. That means HICs now depend on mixed streams to maintain their populations\u2019 livelihoods; things like selling goods and services, manufacturing and <\/em>agriculture. This helps HICs keep resilient in the face of lots of different crises, natural disasters in particular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, where does climate change fit in? Well, human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are causing the average temperature of our planet to increase. Since the planet has finely-tuned ecological systems that usually operate in balance, a slight change in temperature– of even a couple degrees celsius– can and is tilting the balance of these systems. This is expected to cause an increase in the frequency and\/or intensity of different types of natural disasters in the coming years. For example, on a smaller scale, day-to-day flooding is becoming more frequent in NYC. On a larger scale, droughts in drought-prone areas may occur more and more often, and hurricanes are expected to increase in intensity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue here is that for high-income countries, these changes likely won\u2019t (in the near future) have a huge impact on food security. But in lower-middle income countries whose populations really depend on agriculture, like Kenya or Bangladesh, an increase in natural disasters that affect crops is a big problem. Worsening cyclones in the pacific can physically destroy or flood crops, while prolonged drought may kill crops and livestock, too, leading to famine.  The current prolonged drought in Somalia is an example of this: 50% of its population currently face food insecurity. That includes 4 million children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to turn the tables of food insecurity for many reasons. Food is essential to human survival. This makes our action urgent. Food insecurity traps households in poverty. Lack of nutrition stunts kids\u2019 growth and development. On a larger scale, food insecurity can trigger a domino effect of crises, affecting political stability and worsening conflict and violence. And, with the effects of climate change, the dangers of food-insecurity become evermore real. We\u2019ve got to work together to change the tide: building up food security, building a better planet, and building both together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recap:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n