"A third of the food price increases in the UK in 2023 was down to climate change, according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think-tank."
https://www.ft.com/content/125e89c0-308a-492f-ae8e-6834847d1186
That's ... a lot.
For the UK, that's called #ClimateInflation .
For developing countries that spend more of their budget on food (and where the ability of growing food is closer to the temperature limits), this could spell real trouble.
"Many [wheat] farmers saw a decline in crop production.
Al-Akhras and others like him say that decades of conflict in #Syria and #ClimateChange are to blame. And we can see the evidence all around the country."
"Portions of Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska are grappling with the aftermath of #flooding, while continuing to fight a swollen river. The Mississippi River is facing flood threats, too. The high waters and flooding are suffocating fields, causing #CropDamage to key growing areas across the Midwest."
You know all this will contribute to #ClimateInflation
And yet.
Whem the article talks about where does all this water come from?
"High pressure"
"Cold front"
"Gulf Moisture"
"Recycle local moisture"
and even
"An unbroken jet stream flow from Japan"
But not a single word about global warming.
"Different parts of [#China] are being simultaneously hit by floods, droughts and tropical storms, threatening to spur food #inflation if output of wheat, soybeans, rice and corn is affected.
Major rice-growing areas in the south have been soaked by flooding, while droughts further north have damaged wheat and delayed corn and soybean planting."
"Futures for [robusta] have surged about 60% this year, touching a fresh high of $4,667 per ton. Concerns about the next harvest are adding to supply fears after hot and dry weather in parts of #Vietnam damaged #coffee trees earlier this year.
#Brazil’s top growing regions have also faced the brunt of harsh weather, pushing up arabica prices. Some farmers pick smaller-than-usual beans following droughts in late 2023 that hurt crop development."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-09/coffee-prices-will-keep-rising-into-2025-roaster-lavazza-says
#ClimateInflation
Drought and heat in #Mexico:
"In January 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture (SADER) estimated a 20 to 40 % reduction in corn production directly due to the drought. By March and April, more products, including coffee beans, were at risk. And by May, some dams in the northwest portion of the country were below 20 percent capacity, endangering crops like corn and sorghum."
Beyond "#ClimateInflation: hunger.
One in 11 people went hungry last year. #ClimateChange is a big reason why.
“The agrifood system is working under risk and uncertainties, and these are being accelerated because of climate [change] and the frequency of climate events,” Máximo Torero Cullen, of the FAO, said. It is a “problem that will continue to increase,” he said, adding that the mounting effects of warming on global food systems create a human rights issue.
“Climate change drives [#coffee] prices up
There’s a drum beat in the background that is #ClimateChange, and that is causing problems,” he said. “That will affect the stability of the market and that’s not going to go away for a long time.”
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/01/business/your-coffees-about-to-get-more-expensive-heres-why/index.html
#ClimateInflation
Tucked away in the mountainous highlands of Chiapas in southern Mexico, around 150 coffee farmers on the Edelmann family farm work with their hands for hours on end. The shade of tree canopies is the only barrier between their bodies and the summer sun.
"Key #crops from potatoes and onions to wheat and sugar are being hit by damaging heat, drought and floods around the world, pushing up prices and threatening food security, [ECIU] says.
But while it “is tempting” to suggest that the UK should increase domestic production to make up for poor harvests abroad, #Britain too is struggling in the face of #climate impacts, the organisation said."
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/mediterranean-western-europe-egypt-spain-europe-b2593291.html
#ClimateInflation #UK
"The drought has prompted about a third of the countries in southern Africa to declare a state of disaster. A massive 68 million people across the region need food aid. "
"#SouthKorea’s famous #kimchi is falling victim to #ClimateChange, with scientists, farmers and manufacturers saying the quality and quantity of the napa #cabbage that is pickled to make the ubiquitous dish is suffering due to rising temperatures."
South Korea’s famous kimchi is falling victim to climate change, with scientists, farmers and manufacturers saying the quality and quantity of the cabbage that is pickled to make the dish is suffering due to rising temperatures.
"On an annual scale, the greatest losses affected spring and winter cereal crops – in the Podlaskie and Mazovian voivodeships, where even 50-74% of the cultivated area struggled with a water deficit. Significant water shortages were also recorded in the cultivation of fruit bushes, strawberries, rapeseed, fodder rape, corn, and leguminous plants. Many farmers in regions affected by drought can expect lower yields this year."
https://wodnesprawy.pl/en/the-drought-in-poland-this-summer-has-not-been/
#Poland #drought
" Despite record heatwaves, floods and storms across much of South-east Asia in 2024, more people in the region are concerned about bread-and-butter issues such as #FoodSecurity than about #ClimateChange, according to a new survey."
People need help connecting the dots: that climate change has effects on their grocery bills.
That's what this #ClimateInflation thread is about.
“Our #citrus growers are resilient, but after fighting citrus greening for nearly two decades and having three major hurricanes in the past seven years devastate the heart of our growing region, growers are weary,” he said in a statement Friday.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-12/florida-orange-growers-were-set-for-a-turnaround-then-hurricane-milton-hit
#Florida #oranges #HurricaneMilton
Oranges and some citrus trees are lying useless on the ground in Florida’s groves after Hurricane Milton tore through the state, setting back growers just as they hoped the worst for the struggling industry was over.
Farmers Worldwide Hit by Climate Change
"Globally 75 percent of #farmers are already impacted by #ClimateChange or are worried about its impacts, and 71 percent say reduced yields are a major concern. Six out of 10 have already experienced significant revenue loss due to abnormal weather events.
Spanning eight countries — China, Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Kenya, Ukraine and the U.S. — the survey interviewed over 2,000 farmers between June and July."
https://www.stdaily.com/web/English/2024-10/10/content_240501.html
Globally 75 percent of farmers are already impacted by climate change or are worried about its impacts, and 71 percent say reduced yields are a major concern. Six out of 10 have already experienced significant revenue loss due to abnormal weather events recently.
"A lack of #water is a hidden and growing driver of #hunger that affects one in every 11 people, the WRI said. Rice, wheat and corn — which make up more than half of the world’s food calories — are particularly vulnerable, with a third of those crops grown using highly stressed or variable water supplies.
Water scarcity could cause high-income countries’ #GDP to shrink by 8% by mid-century and a drop of up to 15% in poorer countries, it said."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-10-18/global-food-roundup-water-stress-threatens-quarter-of-crops
#ClimateInflation
Hotter summers in Japan are hard both on rice crops and on the aging farmers growing them.
"Last year, #Japan recorded a poor #rice harvest nationwide because of exceptionally hot weather. Ministry data showed the country’s private-sector rice inventory fell to 1.56 million tons in June, the lowest level since records began in 1999."
In the remote village of Kamimomi in Japan’s western Okayama Prefecture, a small group of rice farmers began their most recent harvest in sweltering heat, two weeks sooner than usual. The prefecture is called “the Land of Sunshine” because of its pleasant climate, but farmers working among the paddy fields…
"#SouthSudan is [a] #ClimateChange hotspot. A significant concern is the increasing emergence and incidence of crop pests that threaten the plant health and livelihoods of approximately 86% of rural households which depend on agriculture.
Common pests include elegant grasshoppers, bollworms, cassava whiteflies, cutworms, African armyworms, stalk borers, and aphids.
The fall armyworm is one of the invasive pests in South Sudan associated with climate change."
"The #Philippines is set to be drenched by its fourth storm in just over a month, which threatens to add to a growing tally of crop losses that total at least 11.5 bn pesos (US $97 million) this year.
#TyphoonYinxing — known locally as Marce — is forecast to bring more than 200 millimetres (8 inches) of torrential rain to Cagayan province.
Nearly 1.1 million hectares of rice and corn crops could be affected by Yinxing, according to the agriculture department."
"Europe is grappling with a severe #cereal production crisis, exacerbated by adverse weather conditions, high production costs with stable prices, low quality of output, and stiff competition from Ukraine.
“This season was particularly challenging due to a series of adverse weather events for harvest,” he added, highlighting how droughts in Southeastern Europe and excessive autumn rainfall have negatively impacted both quantity and quality of harvests."
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/11/20/europe-faces-growing-crisis-in-cereal-production
#wheat #maize
"Some British retailers and wholesalers have been forced to switch to sourcing #oranges from South Africa and South America early after last month’s catastrophic floods in eastern #Spain left farmers struggling to harvest and ship their crops."
This leads to #ClimateInflation in your grocery bill.
(Also, know the seasons of your produce.
So you don't have to buy them from the *other hemisphere*).
"Global #wine production is expected to drop to its lowest level since 1961, marking 2024 as a historically poor year for winemaking.
This represents a 2% decline compared to 2023, which itself was a low-production year. “The ongoing drop in wine production globally is directly linked to #ClimateChange,” stated John Barker, OIV’s Director-General."
Call it what it is: #ClimateInflation.
"Economists are increasingly starting to assemble evidence that global heating is putting systemic upward pressure on food #inflation – as well as injecting volatility into the food production system worldwide.
The challenges can be compounded by climate-related transport bottlenecks, as when the number of ships that could transit the Panama Canal each day had to be cut because of low water levels."
Sinterklaas more costly this year as cocoa prices skyrocket
"Sharp rises in #cocoa prices have made this year' Sinterklaas celebrations more costly, De Tijd warned on Friday. Prices are unlikely to drop any time soon.
The main culprits for the rising prices are fungal diseases in cocoa plants and bad weather, which resulted in terrible harvests in crucial cocoa-producing countries in West Africa."
https://www.brusselstimes.com/1342994/sinterklaas-more-costly-this-year-as-cocoa-prices-skyrocket
"In 2022, inflation reached 9% in the U.S. — the highest rate in over 40 years. That was part of a global trend [resulting from[ the lingering impacts of the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, higher fuel and energy prices, and food export bans issued by a number of countries.
Extreme weather shocks were another leading cause of escalating prices, said Alla Semenova,. “Climate change is an important part of the inflationary puzzle,” she said."
https://gizmodo.com/the-real-reason-everythings-getting-more-expensive-2000535012
#ClimateChange affects the entire food supply chain, from farm to fork.
"As global temperatures rise and weather patterns become increasingly erratic, the agricultural sector faces profound challenges that ripple through the entire #food supply chain, from production to transportation and storage."
https://earth.org/from-farm-to-table-the-economic-impact-of-climate-change-on-the-food-chain/
#ClimateInflation
“Nowadays, the catch is at around 70 percent of the catch when I first came to Geoje,” she said, adding that her older colleagues complain that nature was “richer and more generous 10 to 15 years ago.”
"I've dived for over 50 years, and this is the first time I've seen sea urchins dried up dead in the water. The sea pineapples are dead, the conch are dead … now there's nothing in the sea," Lee Bok-soon, a professional haenyeo from Geoje said.
Global food production at increased risk from excess salt in soil, UN report warns
"Scientists say #climate crisis and poor agricultural practices to blame with serious implications for crop yields
Water scarcity, poor drainage, and overexploitation of the soil are key factors behind the increase in salinity. #SeaLevelRses will exacerbate this, with the incursion of saltwater into coastal areas."
#ClimateInflation hits poor people first.
Hospital admissions for lack of vitamins soaring in #England
“We have seen fresh, healthier foods spike in price over the last few years, making a nutritious diet increasingly unaffordable for some, while fast foods are cheap and filling but are low in nutritious content. GPs are on the frontline of this public health crisis, caring for patients who are experiencing the health consequences of growing deprivation.”
"Lo’s [persimmon] harvest was down by more than a third in 2024, #Taiwan’s hottest year on record, after some of his trees failed to bloom and two typhoons in October stripped many of their leaves and fruit."
Washington State, apples:
"Researchers noted that apple growers in Washington are already adapting to the changing climate with some using netting and “evaporative cooling” to help the apples fend off sunburns amid more frequent extreme heat."
https://www.koin.com/local/washington-apples-face-detrimental-impacts-of-climate-change/
Seems this crop is ready for #agrivoltaics.
Campaigners call for action as jellyfish threaten Scottish #salmon farms
"String #jellyfish species that has killed millions of salmon in Norwegian sea farms reported in Scotland
A spokesperson for Salmon Scotland denied salmon farms harmed the environment and said blooms of the jellyfish had also been detected in 2022 and 2023 and were caused by rising sea temperatures."
"Spanish fishers in #Galicia — Europe’s main source of #shellfish and the biggest producer of #mussels in the world — are reporting a “catastrophic” collapse in shellfish populations due to the #climate crisis.
Some shellfish stocks have plummeted by 90 percent in just a few years."
https://www.ecowatch.com/spain-shellfish-population-collapse-climate-change.html
A secret weapon in agriculture’s climate fight: #Ants
"Though most people view the small insects as little more than a nuisance, colonies of them are being deployed in orchards across a handful of countries to stave off the spread of crippling infestation and disease.
Past studies have found that for crops from cocoa to citrus, ants could replace #insecticides in a multitude of climates and locations."
https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/a-secret-weapon-in-agricultures-climate-fight-ants/
It will be interesting to see how this will fare, together with permaculture, biodynamic farming, etc. All of these work-with-nature approaches are a threat to the business model of the fertiliser and pesticides industry (which is at bottom the fossil fuel industry).
https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/a-secret-weapon-in-agricultures-climate-fight-ants/
#ClimateChange is turning Valentine's Day bitter for #chocolate lovers
"Disruptive weather patterns fueled by climate change have hammered West Africa, where most of the world’s cacao, the raw form of the bean that gets processed into cocoa, is grown. Similar challenges have been mounting for coffee farmers, too, fueling a sharp price spike on global markets that consumers are increasingly expected to feel this year."
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/chocolate-prices-valentines-day-candy-climate-change-rcna190866
#ClimateInflation
"A new report has found direct connections between the climate crisis and rising cost-of-living pressures. Failure to lower emissions now will only aggravate the crisis, with each moment of inaction compounding the pressure on households.
The report identifies three key areas where the climate crisis is directly driving up costs for Australians: insurance, food, and energy."
https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/climate-crisis-escalates-cost-of-living-pressures/
#ClimateInflation
A new report has found direct connections between the climate crisis and rising cost-of-living pressures. Failure to lower emissions now will only aggravate the crisis, with each moment of inaction compounding the pressure on households.
"In #SouthSudan's Eastern Equatoria state, the worsening #climate crisis has brought erratic rainfall, extended droughts, and #ExtremeEeather events, significantly affecting food security across the region.
These shocks, along with an invasion of birds, have disrupted agricultural activities, reduced crop yields, and intensified food shortages, leaving communities vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition."
"In the northernmost prefecture of #Hokkaido, poor fishing conditions triggered by global warming are endangering #Japan's prized salmon -- widely considered one of the country's favorite seafood.
A researcher has warned that climate change is forcing Hokkaido's chum salmon, which make up the bulk of Japan's #salmon catch, into a losing battle with a relative for food, hindering their return in large numbers to spawn in the rivers where they were released."
There is trouble on the horizon in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, where poor fishing conditions triggered by global warming are endangering Japan's prized salmon -- widely considered one of the country's favorite seafood.
"#Pakistan’s bees once produced 22 varieties of honey, but that has plummeted to 11 as flowering seasons shorten. Three of the country’s four honeybee species are endangered.
#Bees are threatened globally by changing weather patterns, intensive farming practices, land-use change, and pesticides."
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/3/4/photos-climate-crisis-threatens-pakistans-bees-and-honey-trade
#ClimateInflation
"The study ... finds that under just 1.5°C of warming, more than half of the studied crops would suffer from an overall loss of potential suitable cropland, compared to the current climate.
The most affected crops are wheat, barley, soya beans, lentils and potatoes.
Beyond 2°C warming, the declines in suitable areas for the 30 crops become more pronounced – in some cases approaching and passing 50 per cent, the study notes."
Climate change threatens Latin American banana exports
"A study published in Nature Food has found that by 2080, rising temperatures will lead to a 60 per cent reduction in suitable areas for export #banana production in #LatinAmerica and the #Caribbean without urgent interventions to tackle #ClimateChange.
Yield declines are expected in most of the region’s current banana-growing areas."
https://www.scidev.net/global/news/climate-change-threatens-latin-american-banana-exports/
Less coffee, more chocolate (both more expensive)
"This changing #climate has made mid-altitude lands, once dominated by #coffee, ideal for cacao. But economics also plays a role in this switch, say researchers. #Cacao prices have increased in the last year and some farmers find it too hard to manage the costs of controlling more pests on their coffee crops as temperatures get warmer."
RISARALDA, Colombia — “Before, anyone who wanted to grow cacao at 1,200 or 1,500 meters [3,900 to 4,900 feet] altitude was considered crazy,” says Orlando Quintero Gonzales, an agronomist in Colombia’s Eje Cafetero, or the Coffee Axis. “Today, with climate change reshaping agricultural landscapes, these altitudes could become optimal for this crop.” As small-scale farmers […]
"Global yields of wheat are around 10% lower now than they would have been without the influence of climate change, according to a new study.
The study also assesses the impacts that warming and vapour pressure deficit – a key driver of plant water stress – have on crop yields.
The models show that these effects may be the main driver of losses in grain yield, with heat having a more “indirect effect”, as higher temperatures drive water stress. "
https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-wheat-yields-would-be-10-higher-without-climate-change/
#ClimateInflation
Climate change threatens banana exports, key to the Latin American economy
A study indicates that rising temperatures threaten 60% of the area suitable for growing the tropical fruit
https://english.elpais.com/climate/2025-06-07/climate-change-threatens-banana-exports-key-to-the-latin-american-economy.html
#ClimateInflation
Rapidly Increasing Soil Salinity Threatens Global Food Supply: UN Report
"The report, Global Status of Salt-Affected Soils, found that roughly 3.41 billion acres — 10.7 percent of land worldwide — is impacted by salinity, with another 2.47 billion acres classified as “at risk,” reported The Guardian."
https://www.ecowatch.com/soil-salinity-increase-food-supply-impacts.html
[Reminder that nearly half the US corn crop is grown for corn ethanol additives to gasoline.
Maybe grow less food for cars, more for people.]
"Rising global temperatures are set to devastate food crops across the world.
One of the striking findings of the study is that some of the wealthiest countries are likely to be hardest hit.
The only staple crop that might be able to avoid substantial losses is rice, which can benefit from warmer nighttime temperatures."
Rising global temperatures are set to devastate food crops across the world, with particularly alarming impacts projected for the United States, where production of key crops could plummet 50% by the end of the century, according to a sweeping new analysis.
"While producers struggle to harvest the same amounts of food in the face of droughts, heat waves, and hurricanes, shoppers are more likely to face climbing food prices.
[A study of ] caloric output of agricultural production found that for every additional degree Celsius of warming, the global food system will produce roughly 120 fewer calories per person per day.
[At 3C warming], that’s the equivalent of everyone on the planet missing out on breakfast."
"Drought is pushing tens of millions of people to the edge of starvation around the world, in a foretaste of a global crisis that is rapidly deepening with climate breakdown.
More than 90 million people in eastern and southern Africa are facing extreme hunger after record-breaking drought across many areas, ensuing widespread crop failures and the death of livestock. In Somalia, a quarter of the population is now edging towards starvation."
"By early 2024, Morocco had experienced six consecutive years of drought, leading to a 57% water deficit. In Spain, a 50% fall in olive production, driven by a lack of rainfall, has caused olive oil prices to double, while in Turkey land degradation has left 88% of the country at risk of desertification, and demands from agriculture have emptied aquifers. Dangerous sinkholes have opened up as a result of overextraction."
"Statistics Korea cited climate as a factor in last month's rise in consumer prices. Radish prices jumped 54 percent year-on-year, and shredded squid rose 39.9 percent, with surging prices in seafood and livestock products contributing significantly to inflation.
“Radish and napa cabbage shipments declined due to frequent heavy rains and abnormal temperatures, causing prices to spike. Seafood catches have fallen due to rising sea temperatures.”"
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-07-04/business/economy/Grocery-prices-overheat-as-climate-change-hurts-yields-with-no-relief-in-sight/2345789
#ClimateInflation
As Korea braces for record-breaking heat and a so-called dry monsoon this summer, climate change is driving up food prices around the world, with years of accumulated climate impacts reducing the yields of crops and seafood, pushing prices higher.
"A [new] study directly links dozens of climate extremes to sharp food price spikes, highlighting the increasing vulnerability of food systems to environmental shocks.
Previous studies have examined how high temperatures, which cause waning yields and supply shortages, drive general food price inflation over the long term. However, the new research shows that specific food items also experience much steeper short-term price spikes which feed into inflation."
https://www.ft.com/content/66b06e7d-7fa5-4b53-a4c2-55477af59649
"The cost of a wide range of goods – from vegetables in California to coffee in Brazil – saw dramatic spikes in recent years due to weather conditions that were “so extreme they exceeded all historical precedent prior to 2020,” according to [a new] study.
By driving up food prices extreme weather conditions can also worsen overall inflation, which can lead to political unrest and social upheaval, the researchers noted."
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/21/business/food-prices-climate-change-intl
#ClimateInflation
"Soaring food prices have been a major concern for consumers around the world since around 2021, with prices rising due to extreme weather fuelled by climate change, higher production costs and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – among other factors. "
https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-16-times-extreme-weather-drove-higher-food-prices-since-2022/
#ClimateInflation
"Both extreme weather and food costs have been on the rise in recent years.
Research suggests it’s more than just coincidence that the price increases and weather extremes are coming together. A report published Monday in the journal Environmental Research Letters shows how extreme weather events is correlated to specific food price spikes in the immediate aftermath."
https://time.com/7304646/climate-change-food-prices-extreme-weather/
"A warming planet with intensifying extreme weather is also affecting the price of your steak and hamburgers.
After years of drought, pastures haven’t been producing enough grass to feed cattle. So ranchers have been sending their animals to the slaughterhouse earlier, cutting back herds even as Americans eat more beef. This is sending prices to record highs."
(Soon: add in the effects of tariffs, nothing to do with climate change).
"U.S. imports of Brazilian beef have plummeted 80% in just three months, as President Donald Trump’s tariff crackdown begins to bite. Shipments tumbled from 47,800 tons in April — when a 10% tariff took effect — to just 9,700 tons so far in July. The looming 50% surcharge, scheduled for Aug. 1, is already reshaping trade flows and forcing exporters to reroute containers to beat the deadline."
We can eat differently, and better:
"This is a story of exploration, adaptation and improved health, not one of abstinence.
By transforming how we grow food and what we eat – rather than letting climate change dictate the pace of change – we have so much to gain. If you are a proponent for less but better meat, for increased crop diversity or organic food, then the answer is more plants in our diets."
"Climate change is contributing to a global shortage of the world’s most consumed fruit.
Bananas are the fourth most important food crop globally, with more than 400 million people relying on the fruit for 15% to 27% of their daily calories, and they’re not the only crop at risk.
Climate models show that mitigation efforts are the best ways we can reduce climate impacts on our food supply."
https://time.com/7310462/banana-supply-climate-change/
#ClimateInflation
"The struggles [of farmers in the south of Europe] mean the price of wine, olives, citrus fruits and vegetables are expected to continue to rise, as droughts, flash floods and high temperatures affect traditional crops in the Mediterranean.
However, the more the climate crisis progresses the harder it becomes to adapt and the more costly it becomes."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/25/we-cannot-do-it-the-way-our-fathers-did-farmers-across-europe-struggle-to-adapt-to-the-climate-crisis
#ClimateInflation
But did you know that huge amounts of corn ( nearly half in the US) and sugarcane (Brazil, India) go into the making of additives for cars' gasoline? I say, feed people, not cars.
If you look at the maps you'll see it's a worldwide issue....
@CelloMomOnCars No problem! We’ll just grow them in the US! How do I know? Howard Lutnick smugly said so
CelloMom On Cars
NYC Glue
Peter Brown
The Sleight Doctor 🃏🍉
John G Fitzgerald
f*cking b*tch club