Climate Change to be the Major Reason for the Increase in the Food Prices According to a Study

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Due to the rising global temperatures, it is predicted that it can put strain on agriculture industry and can cause worldwide inflation as the food prices will increase even more.

A recent study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment reveals that changes in average monthly temperatures exhibit the strongest and most consistent correlation with productivity and inflation figures. 

Conducted by researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, the study focuses on the historical trends of food prices across various categories and countries to elucidate the impact of climatic fluctuations on food inflation. Lead author Max Kotz explains that the projected rise in food prices is intricately linked to extreme weather events, which have the potential to disrupt the delicate balance of the global economy. 

Agricultural productivity is the primary conduit through which climate change affects food inflation, with increases in seasonably hotter months and regions leading to more pronounced inflationary impacts, as outlined in the paper.

“There are likely going to be substantial impacts of future climate change on food prices across the world,” Kotz said.

All countries, be it high and low-income, will experience climate-driven inflation, although countries in the global south, especially Africa and South America, will be more affected, according to the study.

As much of the global south experiences some of the hottest temperatures, the impacts of climate change on food supplies in those regions will be much higher according to Kotz.

“They’re closer to higher temperatures at which further temperature increases start to be damaging, especially for most crops,” he claimed.

As being in the higher latitudes, the average temperatures are increased, it causes upward inflationary pressures when in the typical hottest months of the year. Although, the opposite scenario takes place when there is an increase in the average monthly temperature during the typical colder months in a region.