The effects of climate change will put nearly 23% more Indians at risk of hunger by 2030 due to a fall in agricultural production and disruption in food supply chains, as per the study conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute on Thursday.
Without climate change, the Global Food Policy Report 2022 has found that as many as 7.39 crore Indians would have suffered due to hunger by 2030 but when 9.06 crore citizens (22.69% more) will already be at risk of climate change is taken into consideration.
In 2030, India’s aggregate food production index will also fall from 1.627 without climate change to 1.549 due to the impact on agricultural yields, the report predicted.
According to a study, the average temperature across India will increase in the range of 2.4 degrees Celsius to 4.4 degrees Celsius by 2100, and summer heatwaves are projected to triple by that year.
“Higher temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, sea-level rise, and growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, extreme heat, and cyclones are already reducing agricultural productivity, disrupting food supply chains, and displacing communities,” the report noted.
By 2050, global food production will grow by about 60% when compared to the levels in 2010. However, due to regional variations in access to food nearly 50 crore people would still remain at the risk of hunger, while seven crore of these 50 crore would not have been at risk if not for climate change.
(Inputs from The Hindu)
