Climate change and Ecological breakdown are reducing our ability to grow nutritious food and provide enough clean drinking water.

Food Shortages

“Yields of staple crops could decline by almost a third by 2050 unless emissions are drastically reduced in the next decade, while farmers will need to grow nearly 50% more food to meet global demand, the think tank said. The Chatham House report was drawn up for heads of state before next month’s pivotal United Nations COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Food prices are already near a decade high, fueled by supply chain disruptions during the pandemic and extreme weather. Wheat prices surged over the summer due to crop losses in some of the biggest exporters. The Chatham House report suggests climate challenges could keep that trend intact.” - Bloomberg

Water Shortages

‘Higher temperatures and more extreme, less predictable, weather conditions are projected to affect availability and distribution of rainfall, snowmelt, river flows and groundwater, and further deteriorate water quality. Low-income communities, who are already the most vulnerable to any threats to water supply are likely to be worst affected.

More floods and severe droughts are predicted. Changes in water availability will also impact health and food security and have already proven to trigger refugee dynamics and political instability.” - United Nations

“In 2018, some 3.6 billion people globally had inadequate access to water for one month per year, which is expected to surpass five billion by 2050.” - United Nations

“Climate change, coupled with water mismanagement and overconsumption, are contributing water scarcity across many parts of the globe. Aside from the obvious threat to public health, the subsequent effects of water shortage can vary from food insecurity to increased human conflicts, highlighting the importance of protecting global water resources and its sustainable use.

It is increasingly evident that droughts around the world are becoming more frequent and intense, as well as are occurring at progressively prolonged periods of time. This is most demonstrable by the ongoing megadrought in the western regions of the US, where it is in the midst of its driest conditions in history. 

No continent on Earth has been untouched by water scarcity, and an increasing number of regions are reaching the limit at which they can provide water services sustainably, especially in arid regions. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population is predicted to face water shortages by 2025. This worrying trend is causing many to pose the question: are we running out of water?” - Earth.org

“An analysis of newly released data from the World Resources Institute (WRI) shows that by 2050 an additional billion people will be living in arid areas and regions with high water stress, where at least 40 percent of the renewable water supply is consumed each year. Two-fifths of the world’s population — 3.3 billion people in total — currently live in such areas.” - Washington Post

More Reading

• CDC, Food Security