Severe 'Food Shocks' More Likely Due to Extreme Weather, Experts Warn

Extreme weather such as intense storms, droughts and heatwaves will cause more frequent and severe food shortages as the global climate and food supply systems change, British and American experts warned on Friday.

The pressure on the world's food supplies is so great, and the increase in extreme weather events so rapid, they said, that food shortages on a scale likely to occur once a century under past conditions, may in future hit as often as once every 30 years.

"The chance of having a weather-related food shock is increasing, and the size of that shock is also increasing," said Tim Benton, a professor of population ecology at Leeds University who presented a report commissioned by the British government.

"And as these events become more frequent, the imperative for doing something about it becomes even greater."

The report, prepared by the UK-US Task force on Extreme Weather and Global Food System Resilience, also warned that knee-jerk national responses to production drops, such as the imposition of export or import bans on certain foods or crops, risk exacerbating a problem and fueling spikes in food prices.

Read more at Severe 'Food Shocks' More Likely Due to Extreme Weather, Experts Warn