Climate Change and Food Systems

2012/08/02 by Sonja Vermeulen, Bruce Campbell, John Ingram · 2 citations
Environmental Science · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact #Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability #Climate change impacts on agriculture

paper · doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-020411-130608

openalex publication_date 2012/08/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

Food systems contribute 19%–29% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, releasing 9,800–16,900 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO 2 e) in 2008. Agricultural production, including indirect emissions associated with land-cover change, contributes 80%–86% of total food system emissions, with significant regional variation. The impacts of global climate change on food systems are expected to be widespread, complex, geographically and temporally variable, and profoundly influenced by socioeconomic conditions. Historical statistical studies and integrated assessment models provide evidence that climate change will affect agricultural yields and earnings, food prices, reliability of delivery, food quality, and, notably, food safety. Low-income producers and consumers of food will be more vulnerable to climate change owing to their comparatively limited ability to invest in adaptive institutions and technologies under increasing climatic risks. Some synergies among food security, adaptation, and mitigation are feasible. But promising interventions, such as agricultural intensification or reductions in waste, will require careful management to distribute costs and benefits effectively.

Citations

• The impacts of climate change on livestock and livestock systems in developing countries: A review of what we know and what we need to know
• Maternal and Young Child Nutrition Adversely Affected by External Shocks Such As Increasing Global Food Prices,
• Global fish production and climate change
• Global food demand and the sustainable intensification of agriculture
• How inequitable is the global distribution of responsibility, capability, and vulnerability to climate change: A comprehensive indicator-based assessment
• Measuring Food Insecurity
• A safe operating space for humanity
• CO2 emissions from forest loss
• Food Security: The Challenge of Feeding 9 Billion People
• The impact of droughts and floods on food security and policy options to alleviate negative effects
• Changing Drivers of Deforestation and New Opportunities for Conservation

Cited by

• Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change
• Effects of climate change [wikipedia]