Climate change is altering everything, we already knew that, right? But what if we told you there’s something else at stake, something humans love to do… our food! That’s right, the warning is chilling, and it was published in Nature (and cited by CNN). For every degree the global temperature rises, our planet loses the equivalent of 120 calories of food per person per day… And that’s a huge number! With three degrees, it would be as if the entire planet gave up having breakfast (yes, that pancake breakfast with agave syrup we love so much…). So, if we don’t want to end up devouring each other…
The crops that feed the world
The team of Solomon Hsiang from Stanford University analyzed the six crops that feed most of the planet: corn, wheat, rice, soy, cassava, and sorghum. These six foods provide more than two-thirds of the global calories we eat in 54 countries and over 12,000 farming regions… What did they find? That all regions are at risk.
The richest areas, the most vulnerable
It’s ironic because it usually happens the other way around, but the most developed countries (those with the most advanced technology) will be the ones that lose the most. The study states that the US, Canada, and China could lose up to half of their wheat, corn, or soy production before the end of the century.
And the most productive areas (the American Corn Belt or Europe), supposedly optimized for temperate climates, would suffer something similar.
“The Midwest, now perfect for corn and soy, will take the hit of extreme heat,” explained Andrew Hultgren from the University of Illinois.
Poor countries won’t be spared either
It would be easy to think that countries used to heat have it easier, but no. Even though many African and Latin American nations have learned to survive in tough climates, their capacity to adapt is also running out.
Even crops as resistant as cassava, a staple food for millions in sub-Saharan Africa, are starting to struggle.
“For years we believed cassava was almost indestructible,” says Hsiang. “But extreme heat shows that no crop can last forever”.
Adapting won’t be enough
Just as you read, agricultural adaptation isn’t moving fast enough to avoid this reality. New systems are being tested, new seeds, even shifting crops northward… but it’s like putting duct tape over a crack in your house wall: useless.
And the politicians?
Professor Tim Lang from the University of London warned that, even though the data keeps getting more alarming, politicians are doing nothing to reverse the situation. Crops are failing, the land is heating up, and with every passing year, the margin for action gets smaller.
The truth is, we’ve never faced something like this before. We need to cut emissions, invest in sustainable agriculture, and break our dependence on oil. And it’s not that we suddenly became environmentalists, it’s that our lives depend on it!
No more breakfasts…
Something as basic as our daily meals could start facing problems, and just imagine what would happen in the world if suddenly there wasn’t enough to eat… Global warming isn’t something happening in the future, it’s happening now, and we still have time to reverse it. If you don’t want to lose forever that breakfast with toast and butter, or some waffles, or chilaquiles… It’s time to demand that our politicians make the change happen, and make it happen now!