global food systems

A UK climate minister has warned that the global food system is vulnerable to El Niño, the periodic warming of Pacific Ocean waters that disrupts weather patterns and can hit crop harvests. The warning highlights concerns that extreme weather linked to El Niño could drive up food prices and threaten supply security at a time of already strained agricultural conditions.

Researchers at the New York Botanical Garden have published a series of papers in the journal Plants, People, Planet arguing that growing threats to plant diversity are narrowing the options for building healthier, more resilient food systems. The papers explain why food plant diversity matters and set out a vision for collaboration between scientists, growers and communities to protect it. The warning highlights how the loss of crop varieties and wild relatives could undermine global food security.

Environmental defenders are being highlighted for risking their lives to protect the atmosphere and food systems amid the global warming and climate change crisis. The message calls for them to receive respect and protection, framing their work as a human rights issue and pointing to reporting on the dangers such activists face worldwide.

New analysis maps how climate extremes are threatening dietary quality and nutrition worldwide, highlighting the risks extreme weather poses to food systems and human health beyond simple food supply. The research points to growing concern that floods, droughts and heat events are degrading the nutritional value and diversity of diets globally, with consequences for public health policy and climate adaptation planning.