Climate change will substantially impact global food production and health if no action is taken by consumers, food industries, government and international bodies. 

This is according to a new comprehensive 12-month review of published literature on climate change, healthy diets and actions needed to improve nutrition published in the Annual Review of Public Health.

“Climate change has had a detrimental impact on health and food production for the past 50 years, and far more needs to be done to overcome its adverse effects,” says lead researcher Professor Colin Binns from the Curtin School of Population Health in Australia. 

In fact, researchers estimate that by 2050, world food production will need to increase by 50 percent to overcome present shortages and meet the needs of the growing population – predicted to reach almost 10 billion by 2050.

An uncertain future
The study reveals that it will be possible to produce enough food to maintain adequate intakes for the time being by using improved farming practices and technology and more equity in distribution.

“Despite positive advances in world nutrition rates, we are still facing the ongoing threat of climate change to our global food supply, with Sub-Saharan Africa and part of Asia most at risk,” explains Binns. 

“The combination of climate change and the quality of nutrition is the major public health challenge of this decade and, indeed, this century.” 

Everyone has a role to play
The study asserts that involvement from every level is needed to decrease the global burden on climate change while increasing nutrient intake. 

“Some changes will need to be made to food production. Nutrient content will need monitoring, and more equitable distribution will be required to meet the proposed dietary guidelines,” Binns continues.

Simultaneously, political commitment and substantial investment could go some way to reduce the effects and help provide the foods needed to achieve the SDGs, he flags. 

So far, industry and government have faced bumps in the road toward the mutual goal of a sustainable society. 

Recently, European vertical farmers said they would launch a global sustainability standard in 2021, following years of fruitless campaigning to the EU. 

Vertical farmers reported frustration that the EU would not extend organic regulation to include vertical farms, which they argue are greener than soil-based organic farming. 

Decreasing impact through food choices
The review also outlines what individuals can do. It suggests they follow necessary dietary guidelines and choose foods with low environmental impacts. The researchers propose consuming fish, whole grain cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, berries and olive oil for personal health and the planet’s health.

“It will also be important to increase breastfeeding rates to improve infant and adult health while helping to reduce greenhouse gases and benefit the environment.” 

Binns affirms: “These measures would improve health, help reduce greenhouse gases and meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which in turn would improve food production levels in the future.”

“ongoing research will be vital to assessing the long-term impacts of climate change on food supply and health in order to adequately prepare for the future,” Binns concludes. 

This study was a collaborative effort involving researchers from the Curtin School of Population Health, Australia; Murdoch University, Australia; University of Exeter, England; University of Malaya, Malaysia; Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway; The University of Tokyo, Japan; and Hanoi University of Public Health, Vietnam.