Here’s How Climate Change Impacts Nutrition

After years of decline, global undernourishment statistics have shown an uptick over the last two. Hunger affects over 820 million people worldwide and results in the humanitarian aid, sometimes in the form of life-saving assistance, for 29 million people. As climate change continues to develop, the relationship between undernourishment and these environmental effects shows glaringly.

Systems for food production and consumption are some of the highest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, making up between 19%-29% total. By 2050, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture could grow by 32%. Alarmingly, the more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the less productive crop fields are. High temperatures, a major effect of climate change, slow plant growth and extreme weather events decimate crops and land. Furthering the undernutrition epidemic, staple food crops grown under such conditions in environments with high CO2 levels actually lose their nutritional value. Essentials like iron, zinc, and protein levels lessen, putting the two billion people who already face nutrient difficulties at risk.

As climate change continues to change the environmental landscape, more sustainable and long-term farming solutions will need to be developed. Take a look at this infographic for more detail on the effects of climate change and global nutrition, why farming standards will need to change, and how we can build a future without hunger.