The cost of food has increased by over 70 percent globally over the past three years. In addition, the expense of food commodities has risen by more than 33 percent in the last year, according to Bloomberg in September 2021.

The main cause of these inflated prices is climate change.

Climate change is induced by trapped greenhouse gasses in the Earth’s atmosphere, which cling to heat from the sun. In turn, temperatures begin to rise, resulting in global warming and other disruptions of natural weather patterns.

The effect of climate change goes far beyond temperatures, however, as it can also alter the processes of production that are not equipped for long-term extreme changes. When climate change creates severe natural disasters such as droughts, tropical storms, and heat waves, these weather patterns can strike crops and decrease their annual yields. The Guardian found that this means there are fewer crops to sell to the same amount of consumers; so, businesses inflate their grocery prices to make up for lost profit.

Even when farmers prepare for drastic natural catastrophes, they often switch faster than farmers can adapt. For example, in 2020, the United States faced extensive droughts. To combat this, California farmers adjusted their irrigation systems to be more water-conserving, as reported by the US Department of Agriculture. In spite of their proper planning for droughts, this year many of the US droughts transformed into snow and flooding due to climate change. Since there was an overall increase in water on top of the farmers’ previous water-conservation efforts, California crops suffered intense flooding and a generous amount were destroyed.

USA Today found that cities ​​Salinas and Watsonville in California were hit particularly hard by climate change factors. The two cities typically harvest over 33 percent of California strawberries, but this year’s flooding submerged one-fifth of their strawberries—not only did they lose valuable crops, but they also suffered a loss in revenue. Consequently, the strawberries sent to consumers were more expensive than years prior.

Melissa Sallee, a food scientist and founder of the restaurant ALL PIZZAHOLIC, analyzed the challenge that farmers face due to varying conditions each year.

“Climate change alters the suitability of certain regions for growing specific crops. This can reduce harvests, impact crop quality, and necessitate changes in farming practices. Relocating or adapting agricultural operations to new regions with suitable conditions may incur additional costs, which are then passed on to consumers through higher prices,” Sallee said.

To minimize the detrimental effects of climate change on grocery prices, governments are creating more economics-based climate legislation. These laws aim to decrease inflation while also protecting companies financially from elements like climate change, which are out of their control. These policies are trying to get rid of the inflation pressures that consumers often feel when there are fewer crops harvested.

Currently, there is one main economics-based climate policy: the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act in the United States. This act specifically allocated $369 billion toward inflation caused by climate change. Due to the protections this provides for farmers and therefore consumers, the nonprofit organization Resources for the Future found that the average home would save between $170 to $220 each year.

Around the world, climate change has been hiking grocery prices as farmers struggle to keep up with erratic weather patterns. It is important to continue passing economics-based laws to prevent these price increases and protect both the producers and consumers.

An illustration depicting the impact of climate change on groceries. Illustration created by me, Tara Malhotra.