Oxfam Report Says Climate Change Could Trigger a Huge Spike in Global Food Prices

Food prices across the world could continue to rise over the next couple of decades as climate change could severely affect the yield of major crops around the globe, a new study reveals. According to a new Oxfam report, titled Extreme Weather, Extreme Prices, it says a US drought in 2030 could raise the price of maize by as much as 140 percent over and above the average price of food, which is already likely to be double today's prices.

"Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns hold back crop production and cause steady price rises. But extreme weather events like the current U.S. drought can wipe out entire harvests and trigger dramatic food price spikes. We will all feel the impact as prices spike but the poorest people will be hit hardest," the Daily Star quoted Oxfam's climate change policy adviser Tim Gore, as saying.

"The huge potential impact of extreme weather events on future food prices is missing from today's climate change debate. The world needs to wake up to the drastic consequences facing our food system of climate inaction," he added.

The reports says Drought and flooding in southern Africa could increase the consumer price of maize and other coarse grains by as much as 120 percent by 2030, while nationwide drought in India or extensive flooding across South East Asia could see the world market price of rice increase by 22 percent.

The report warns that such spikes would affect UK consumers who are already facing high food prices without the full weight of extreme weather events and climate change.

He added: "As emissions continue to soar, extreme weather in the U.S. and elsewhere provides a glimpse of our future food system in a warming world. Our planet is heading for average global warming of 2.5-5C digree this century. It is time to face up to what this means for hunger and malnutrition for millions of people on our planet."

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Source-ANI