The world is getting too hot to feed itself
A new joint report by the World Meteorological Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations highlights how extreme heat waves—like those in Brazil, Chile, the U.S., India, and Kyrgyzstan—are devastating global food production, reducing yields of key crops and livestock output. The study warns that climate change is increasing baseline temperatures, making food production increasingly difficult under current conditions.
A joint report by the World Meteorological Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reveals how extreme heat is disrupting global food systems. Brazil, one of the world’s largest agricultural producers, faced severe losses in soy, corn, peanuts, potatoes, sugarcane, arabica coffee, and livestock due to prolonged heat waves in 2024, with temperatures in Rio de Janeiro reaching a decade-high heat index of 144.1 degrees Fahrenheit in March. The report details how climate extremes—such as warming seas in Chile (2016), which caused a 100,000-metric-ton die-off of farmed salmon, and a 2021 heatwave in the U.S. Pacific Northwest—have devastated crops and livestock. In India (2022), wheat yields dropped by 9% to 34% in over a third of states, while Kyrgyzstan’s Fergana mountain range saw 50-degree-Fahrenheit temperature spikes, triggering locust outbreaks and cereal harvest declines. The study emphasizes that human-caused warming is accelerating, with the past 11 years being the warmest on record. Martial Bernoux, senior natural resources officer at the FAO, warned that current efforts to mitigate climate risks are insufficient. Under high-emission scenarios, regions like South Asia, tropical sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Central and South America could face up to 250 days per year too hot for outdoor labor by 2100. The report combines weather and agricultural data to illustrate how heatwaves, compounded by natural cycles like El Niño and La Niña, threaten global food security. Brazil’s case study shows how extreme heat disrupts supply chains, while other nations face unique challenges, from aquaculture collapses to livestock stress and wildfire-induced crop losses. The findings underscore the urgent need for climate adaptation strategies in agriculture to sustain food production as temperatures rise. The report concludes that without accelerated action, extreme heat will continue to strain global food systems, exacerbating food shortages and economic instability.
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