Climate change isn’t just melting glaciers. It’s hiking up your grocery bill. Extreme weather events, from droughts to floods, disrupt global food production. This, in turn, sends shockwaves through the supply chain, ultimately impacting food prices.
For instance, Spain’s olive harvest plummeted by 40% due to severe drought. Result? Olive oil prices soared by 27% for American consumers. Chocolate lovers aren’t spared either. Cadbury’s Freddo costs higher by 200% this year in Australia. Why? Extreme weather ravaged cocoa farms in Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Wheat is another victim of climate chaos. Argentina, a major wheat producer, suffered droughts in 2021 and 2023. Combined with the Russia-Ukraine war, this sent wheat prices skyrocketing. Pasta, bread, and cereal became more expensive.
This isn’t just about dollars and cents. For many, especially in developing countries, rising prices mean tough choices. In India, where food prices directly impact education, rising costs force families to cut back. A similar trend is seen in low-income American households.
We’re locked into decades of climate change. To feed the world, we must overhaul our food systems. Supply chains are the backbone of our food security, yet they’re incredibly vulnerable.
Climate change, wars, and misguided policies create a perfect storm. Governments often react with protectionism, but this backfires. It doesn’t solve the problem; it worsens it. Nearshoring and friendshoring might work for tech, but not food.
We need a global approach, not isolated efforts. Governments and businesses must collaborate to build resilient systems. It’s time to move from reaction to prevention. The future of food security depends on it.
Reference- TIME Magazine, Newsweek, National Geographic,The Guardian