climate change and food insecurity

Climate change will compound existing food insecurity. Before the current food crisis, more than 800 million people had calorie-deficient diets, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. After the rise in food prices in 2008, millions more—estimates range from 100 million to 850 million—might suffer hunger or food insecurity. According to the UN World Food Programme, the number of food emergencies every year has increased from an average of 15 during the 1980s to more than 30.

Another study suggests that half of the world's population could face severe food shortages by the end of the century because rising temperatures take their toll on farmers' crops. Harvests of staple food crops, such as rice and maize, could fall between 20% and 40% as a result of increased temperatures during the growing season in tropical and subtropical regions.