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

While we can’t 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. 

Why’s that? Higher income countries (HICs) have already seen a shift in their economies: they’ve 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’ livelihoods; things like selling goods and services, manufacturing and agriculture. This helps HICs keep resilient in the face of lots of different crises, natural disasters in particular. 

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. 

The issue here is that for high-income countries, these changes likely won’t (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.

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’ 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’ve got to work together to change the tide: building up food security, building a better planet, and building both together. 

Recap:

• Food insecurity radically impacts high, middle and low income countries alike
• Increased natural disasters are an expected result of climate change that will increase food insecurity, especially in lower income countries
• We need to take action on local and global levels to address both food insecurity and to mitigate the impacts of climate change 

“In the past, droughts were not always so disastrous and are often part of a regular climate cycle, as was the case in the Horn of Africa’s drylands and in the Sahel. However, the greater frequency of droughts and more erratic nature of rains in many countries, combined with underlying economic, social and environmental vulnerabilities have meant that droughts have an increasingly destructive impact on at-risk populations.” – FAO 

Citations:

What is food insecurity in america? (2020). Hunger and Health; Feeding America. https://hungerandhealth.feedingamerica.org/understand-food-insecurity/

Food. (2015, December 11). United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/food/ 

Somalia Drought Impact and Need Assessment(Synthesis Report Volume 1). (2020). World Bank. http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/901031516986381462/pdf/122991-v1-GSURR-Somalia-DINA-Repor… 

Drought: Fao in emergencies. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2021, from http://www.fao.org/emergencies/emergency-types/drought/en/