How Climate change Results in Hunger

Our looming climatic crisis is also a humanitarian one. Global warming is limited to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels. This has resulted in increased global food crises, biodiversity loss, more frequent extreme weather events, and shorter growing seasons in the future. Freshwater will become scarcer, leading to an increase in sickness, as well as displacement & violence, proving climate change can result in hunger. 

Poorer countries, which contribute the least to the problem, bear the brunt of the consequences. The entire greenhouse gas emissions of the 27 most vulnerable countries, which are already hunger hotspots (and have the fewest financial resources to cope and adapt), are less than 5% of the total emissions of the G7 countries. People facing marginalization and those reliant on agriculture for their livelihoods will be the hardest hurt.

It has brought new crop diseases and pests to some regions. The nutrient content of some crops has changed because of climate change, and water supplies in some regions are shrinking.

In the highlands of Guatemala, chronic malnutrition affects roughly sixty-five percent of a primarily agrarian population and out-migration to the United States is increasing due to extreme drought and flooding.

Increased hunger and loss of livelihood force people to seek more habitable places to live. Since 2008, nearly 175 million people in developing countries have been displaced by climate-induced disasters—a number that continues to grow.

Hunger and malnutrition

Climate change has far-reaching consequences for people’s diets and nutrition. Nutritional status and resilience are harmed when access to appropriate nutritious foods is limited, especially in low-income communities. Eight of the 35 countries most vulnerable to climate change are already suffering from severe food shortages. Over 117 million people in these 27 nations alone are in a state of crisis or worsening famine. Nutrition and health outcomes are likely to deteriorate even in situations where disasters and extreme shifts in climate change may not have an immediate impact. There are many Catholic charities to donate to if you want to help in decreasing both hunger and malnutrition. 

Child and maternal nutrition 

Maternal, neonatal, and child health are all impacted by climate change due to maternal nutrition, environmental hazards, and infectious disease.

In the 27 food-insecure nations most in danger from climate change, about one-third of children suffer from chronic malnutrition and stunting (which impairs their ability to learn and develop) or acute malnutrition, which can be fatal. Increased CO2 emissions could force an extra 138 million people into zinc insufficiency by 2050. With disproportionately large costs for children and pregnant or lactating women, who have higher nutritional needs.

Malnutrition and irregular availability to nutritional needs would affect 2.37 billion people by 2022. Climate change impacts livestock yield quantity and quality, reproduction, growth rates, temperature-related stress, and livestock deaths. Besides this, it also impacts feed quality and insect, ruminant, and zoonotic disease distribution. Because of increasing runoff and diminished groundwater resources, animals will have less access to water.

Temperature rises, ocean acidification, sickness, parasites and pathogens, and other factors are wreaking havoc on fisheries and hatcheries (which are critical to the food security of many vulnerable countries). Increasing water levels and storm intensity add to the danger.

Gender-based inequalities

Climate change disproportionately affects women, children, marginalized groups, and poor communities. Women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die in a disaster. Women and girls are generally the first to eat less when lower yields result in a drop in income and food scarcity. She is unable to develop land to satisfy and adapt to their nutritional needs due to a lack of land rights. Women are frequently excluded from choices on how to address climatic challenges.

Food pricing

Rising demand for finite resources, changes in tax and subsidy regimes, and the availability and prices of fossil fuels (driven by a global shift to more resource-intensive, meat-based diets) are limiting access to appropriate nourishment for the poor, particularly women and children.

Biodiversity loss 

The World Economic Forum declared in 2021 that biodiversity loss is the world’s third most serious hazard, behind weapons of mass destruction and state collapse. Farmers around the world have switched native variations for genetically uniform, high-yielding types, resulting in a loss of 75 percent of plant genetic variety since the 1900s. Today, only 12 crops and five animal species contribute 75 percent of the food we generate. Climate change, environmental degradation, and famine have caused a loss of agricultural diversity.

Our ocean’s condition

Sea levels are rising, as are heat storage and acidity levels in our oceans, reducing the ocean’s ability to mitigate climate change. Saltwater intrusion into freshwater aquifers, inundation in low-lying areas, and land loss are all consequences of rising sea levels. Storms, tsunamis, and other sudden-onset phenomena are less protected when coastal ecosystems deteriorate, leaving people exposed and vulnerable, and increasing their risk of displacement. If nothing is done, between 145 million and 565 million people living in coastal areas may be affected by increasing sea levels in the future. We might not be able to solve the direct question of how to end poverty, but with collective efforts, we can atleast help people in need. 

Water and sanitation 

Changing rainfall patterns are exacerbating water scarcity in some areas and are likely to exacerbate disputes over river watershed access. Increased temperatures, on the other hand, increase the demand for water by plants, animals, and people. Climate change has the potential to undo gains made in improving access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and excellent hygiene, forcing more people into poverty.

Wrapping up 

Many experts see climate change as a reason for conflict. The security implications are far-reaching and complex. Extreme weather and climate change may lead to increased displacement and conflict. Climate change and violence were major factors in the eight worst food crises of 2019. Additional crises, such as Covid-19, further complicate the situation. In the absence of climate change mitigation, climate projections predict a 54 percent rise in armed conflict (393,000 casualties) by 2030. 

We can’t eradicate the problems but we can atleast stick together and help the one who needs us. There are many Catholic charities to donate to that help people, one such is Catholic Connect Care.