The Issues We Face on Our Food Today

Global warming has been believed to be beneficial for the food and agricultural industry for quite some time. This is due to the high levels of carbon dioxide from global warming which were once thought to help with photosynthesis for the greeneries, thus, the belief that there will be a boom on the agricultural sector and food supply.

The theory was backed by the fact that there has been a great improvement in barley production in Iceland amidst global warming. But as more research experiments have been conducted, it was revealed that global warming effects on food supply and agriculture are not good at all.

Photosynthesis is necessary for plants to grow and manufacture their own food, but with the drastic increase in temperatures brought about by global warming, these plants will find it hard to survive. In addition, the climate change has brought about weather irregularities, bringing in floods and hurricane – surely, the survival of t will be a total struggle. Furthermore, these plants are primarily used for human consumption and when they are affected by the prevailing high temperatures, food shortage will occur.

How Global Warming Affects Food Supply

It has now been established that global warming can have negative effects on agriculture and ultimately food production. These effects are:

Reduced yield - With global warming, expect that there will be reduced yields of food. High temperatures and drought can bring stress to crops and livestock, making them vulnerable to diseases and affecting their productivity.

Decreased soil arability – with the climate change, higher latitudes will receive the right temperature suitable for growing, only that the soil and nutrients found in these areas are not suitable for growing produce. Alternatively, lower latitude areas are suitable for farming but with the climate change, it becomes a less productive ground.

Need for Irrigation – In some parts of the world, crop production will depend on rain. However, since the rise in temperature makes rain absent most of the time; the need for irrigation becomes the next option. As a result, there will be more expenses to take care of and water access will also become a problem.

More Pests – Pests, fungi, and weeds tend to thrive better in warmer temperatures and under high levels of CO2. New pests may be introduced in different regions as environmental temperature and humidity changes. For instance, pests thriving in low-latitude areas may migrate to higher latitudes.

Effects on Fisheries – fisheries are already affected by pollution, global warming, and overexploitation. The changes in water temperatures in oceans, lakes, and rivers, coupled with rise of sea level and melting ice can have a great impact on different species of fish. For instance, they become more vulnerable to diseases in warmer waters. For some species of fish, they are fortunate enough to have adapted to the change by migrating to high latitude, but for others, like freshwater species, there is no other option.

Food shortage is a serious threat to society since man relies mainly on food for survival. The future of the global food supply will depend on how different societies can handle to the changes brought about by global warming.