Food & Climate
Global heating is contributing to more extreme weather events that have led the highest levels of displacement for 16 years, contributed to worsening food crises and caused massive economic losses. There were at least 151 “unprecedented” extreme weather events in 2024 alone, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Last year was the hottest year on record, the top 10 hottest years were all in the past decade and planet-heating carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are at an 800,000-year high, a report Wednesday said, according to the report seen by “Food & Climate” platform.
In its annual State of the Climate report, the World Meteorological Organization laid bare all the markings of an increasingly warming world with oceans at record high temperatures, sea levels rising and glaciers retreating at record speed.
“Our planet is issuing more distress signals,” said António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General. He noted that the report says the international goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.8 Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times is still possible. “Leaders must step up to make it happen — seizing the benefits of cheap, clean renewables for their people and economies,” he said.
The report attributed the heating to human activity — like the burning of coal, oil and gas — and in a smaller part to the naturally occurring El Nino weather phenomenon. An El Nino formed in June 2023 and dissipated a year later, adding extra heat and helping topple temperature records. In 2024, the world surpassed the 1.5 C limit for the first time — but just for a single year. Scientists measure breaching the climate goal as Earth staying above that level of warming over a longer time period.
More extreme weather
The report said global heating is contributing to more extreme weather events that have led the highest levels of displacement for 16 years, contributed to worsening food crises and caused massive economic losses. There were at least 151 “unprecedented” extreme weather events in 2024 alone, it said.
“It is a wake-up call that we are increasing the risks to our lives, economies and to the planet,” said Celeste Saulo, WMO’s Secretary-General.
The report’s warnings come as the United States President Donald Trump has issued a series of rollbacks on climate commitments and cast doubt on climate science. The U.S. is the world’s second biggest polluter currently and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases historically. It’s left some worried that other countries will also have less ambitious targets as a result.
“The science is indisputable. Attempts to hide climate science from the public will not stop us from feeling the dire impacts of climate change,” said Brenda Ekwurzel of the U.S.-based not-for-profit, Union of Concerned Scientists.
Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan climate activist also warned that “the longer we delay emissions cuts, the worse it will get.”
“Phasing out fossil fuels is not a choice—it is an emergency response to a crisis unfolding before our eyes,” she said, according to “AP”.
This comes despite the US Department of the Environment (EPA)‘s warning about a month ago that the country’s agricultural lands were being eroded due to climate change.
Agriculture and food crises
Agriculture is the source of more than 90% of food, meaning that climate change and rising temperatures are contributing to the worsening of the food crisis.
There are nearly two million farms in the United States, and more than half the nation’s land is used for agricultural production. The number of farms has been slowly declining since the 1930s, though the average farm size has remained about the same since the early 1970s. Many industries, such as food service and food manufacturing, are connected to agriculture and depend on farms, according to (EPA).
Agriculture is very sensitive to weather and climate. It also relies heavily on land, water, and other natural resources that climate affects. While climate changes (such as in temperature, precipitation, and frost timing) could lengthen the growing season or allow different crops to be grown in some regions, it will also make agricultural practices more difficult in others.
The effects of climate change on agriculture will depend on the rate and severity of the change, as well as the degree to which farmers and ranchers can adapt. U.S. agriculture already has many practices in place to adapt to a changing climate, including crop rotation and integrated pest management. A good deal of research is also under way to help prepare for a changing climate.