Food—it’s what we eat. 

While in the broader scheme of climate action agriculture has retained a relatively low profile in comparison to other activities—such as carbon capture technology—the importance of agriculture can not be understated. 

As the world population skyrockets past 8 billion, the global population will only peak in 2080, at over 10 billion humans. By that time, not only will climate change have exacerbated greatly if Earth were to continue at its current rate, but global food supplies will have been greatly strained—at a great cost.

From chemical pollution to warming temperatures, a lack of irrigation to more viscous disease, the climate crisis is generating a positive feedback loop, one that is putting pressure on global food systems and greatly complicating the challenge of feeding the world’s many mouths. In fact, corn, a caloric staple, is expected to decline by 24% in global yields as climate change takes its toll by 2030, according to NASA. 

Clearly, something will need to change—fast.

This is why the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2—a set of guidelines to uplift livelihoods amidst a changing climate—emphasizes the imperative of zero hunger. As mentioned above, the situation in the future is looking very dire, especially as climate change takes its toll.

However, today’s global food situation already looks grim. The conflict in Eastern Europe has shocked global food supplies, and hundreds of millions still live in hunger. 

There are several ways that humanity can approach hunger, from policy approaches to scientific approaches. 

Here is a resource that can greatly help you on your quest to better understand food security. 

Hydrapplications (hydrapplication.org)

Hydrapplications is an organization that takes a unique approach on disseminating information on agriculture. It primarily recognizes that climate change has posed a greater threat to food systems, and investigates further into some of the underlying processes that have accelerated the rise of food insecurity. For example, Hydrapplication covers former Brazilian President Bolsonaro’s top-down policymaking and spells out how his government actions have exacerbated the climate crisis and created a conflict with the global supply of food. 

I highly recommend reading further into agriculture and food security’s relation to climate change through Hydrapplication’s Bite-Sized briefing column. If you have time to explore, you can also check out its more in-depth analysis of certain environmental issues, such as climate cooperation and its impact on food security. 

This organization offers an in-depth view of specific issues facing agriculture, agrarian lands, and environment. If you are looking for supplemental reading, also make sure to check out the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for additional figures and statistics. 

As a take away, remember that food security must also be prioritized as humanity enters its extended face off with the climate.

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