Leaked #IPCC report links climate change to global food scarcity
▻http://www.theguardian.com/environment/world-on-a-plate/2013/nov/07/climate-change-environment-food-security-ipcc-emissions-united-nations-
Among other things, the text clearly outlines the threats climate change poses to the global food supply, citing a decrease of up to 2% each decade in yields of staple crops like maize, wheat, and rice.
That projected dip looks even more serious when one considers the parallel 14% increase per decade in the demand for food that scientists are expecting, to match the needs of a population that will reach 9 billion-plus by 2050.
It’s a familiar message. But, “what is probably new compared to previous reports is the recognition of climate change’s impacts much sooner than was expected,” says Alexandre Meybeck, senior policy officer on Agriculture, Environment and Climate Change with the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. “We are not talking about 2100, we are talking about what’s going to happen in 20, 30 years.”