Over 9 crore Indians at risk of hunger due to climate change: Report (The Federal)

The Federal (India) published an article describing results from the 2022 Global Food Policy Report. The effects of climate change will put 9.06 crore Indians at risk of hunger in the next eight years. As per the report, the average temperature across India is projected to rise by between 2.4°C and 4.4°C by 2100. Similarly, summer heat waves are projected to triple or quadruple by 2100 in India. “Climate change is a growing threat to our food systems, with impacts becoming increasingly evident. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events, among other effects, are already reducing agricultural yields and disrupting food supply chains. By 2050, climate change is expected to put millions of people at risk of hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.” Director General Johan Swinnen, IFPRI and Global Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR, said, “This year’s Global Food Policy Report on food systems transformation and climate change echoes the somber warning issued by recent IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports: As we continue to degrade the environment and push beyond our planetary boundaries, we are entering a ‘Code Red for Humanity.’ Food systems are inseparably linked to this unprecedented crisis, which threatens the food security, nutrition, and health of billions of people.” “Our food systems are not only severely impacted by climate change, requiring an urgent focus on adaption, but also play a role in causing about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, with two-thirds of that resulting from agriculture, forestry, and other land use. Investing in food systems transformation is a key piece of the climate change puzzle, yet it is vastly underfunded, with only a small part of climate finance directed toward this goal.” Also published in NDTV.com.