A recent report by a team of international scientists has found that extreme climate events are causing significant price hikes for various food items worldwide. The research highlights examples such as a 280% spike in global cocoa prices in April 2024, following a heatwave in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, and a 300% jump in lettuce prices in Australia after floods in 2022.
The study reveals that the vast majority of price increases occurred soon after heatwaves. For instance, South Korea saw a 70% increase in cabbage prices in September 2024, Japan experienced a 48% increase in rice prices in September 2024, and India witnessed an 81% increase in potato prices in early 2024. Other price increases were linked to droughts, such as a 2023 drought in Brazil that preceded a 55% increase in global coffee prices the following year.
According to Maximillian Kotz, the report’s lead author from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, “Until we get to net zero emissions, extreme weather will only get worse, but it’s already damaging crops and pushing up the price of food all over the world.” Kotz added that people are noticing the impact of climate change, with rising food prices being the second most significant climate-related concern, after extreme heat.
The report’s findings have significant implications for global food security and economic stability. Amber Sawyer, a co-author of the report from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), noted that in the UK, climate change added £360 to the average household food bill in 2022 and 2023 alone. Sawyer also mentioned that the UK had its third-worst arable harvest on record in 2023, following extreme rainfall that scientists attributed to climate change.
The report’s release coincides with the United Nations Food Systems Summit, which will be co-hosted by Ethiopia and Italy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The summit aims to address the pressing issues of global food security and sustainability in the face of climate change.
Governments have committed to cutting global emissions by 2.6% from 2019 to 2030 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). However, these commitments fall short of the reductions scientists say are needed to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The International Court of Justice is expected to deliver a landmark advisory opinion on states’ legal obligations to address climate change, which may further emphasize the need for urgent action.