Due to climate change, the cost of nutritious food has doubled
Extreme weather events, driven by climate change, have been causing significant increases in global food prices, impacting supermarket shelves and household budgets worldwide. Over the past few years, from 2022 to 2024, extreme heat, droughts, floods, and heatwaves have led to major spikes in food costs in many countries, making staple foods less affordable and contributing to food insecurity.
In economically strong states like Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany, food prices are higher compared to the national average. The average monthly food expenditure for a single individual is approximately 201 euros, while for a household of four, it amounts to around 804 euros. However, food is generally cheaper in Eastern Germany due to lower purchasing power and living costs.
Key examples of food price increases linked to extreme weather include:
- An 80% surge in vegetable prices in California and Arizona due to summer heat and drought in 2022.
- A 280–300% rise in cocoa prices in April 2024 following a heatwave in West Africa (Ghana and Ivory Coast), which was made significantly hotter by climate change.
- An 80% jump in onion and potato prices in India due to a 2024 heatwave considered "largely unique."
- A 40% increase in food prices in Ethiopia in March 2023 following the worst drought in 40 years in the Horn of Africa.
- Broader effects like rising prices for rice in Japan and onions in India after a 2024 heatwave in Asia.
- Increased costs for various other staples such as UK potatoes and South Korean cabbage tied to extreme weather events.
These extreme weather-related price spikes reduce access to healthy diets, especially impacting low-income households and heightening risks of malnutrition and diet-related diseases. Experts warn that, until emissions are reduced, such climate-driven food price volatility and the resulting impacts on global food security will worsen.
The scarcity of agricultural products due to these weather events is leading to an increase in the cost of staple foods, a phenomenon known as "climateflation." In 2024, consumers in Japan and South Korea had to pay up to 70 percent more for staple foods like rice and cabbage. Many food items have nearly doubled in price over the past few months.
In India, the price of onions and potatoes increased by more than 80 percent in May 2024. Similarly, in Europe, olive oil prices soared by around 50 percent in 2024. The study by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center reveals that extreme weather conditions threaten harvests and cause significant price increases.
Experts believe this trend of rising food costs due to extreme weather events is not temporary. They urge governments, farmers, and consumers to adapt to these changes and take measures to mitigate the impact on food security and affordability.
[1] Climate Central [2] The Guardian [3] The New York Times [4] The Economist
- Consumers in economically strong states, such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany, are affected by higher food prices due to climate change, as the average monthly food expenditure for an individual is around 201 euros and 804 euros for a household of four.
- Climate change has caused a surge in food prices globally, with key examples like a 280–300% rise in cocoa prices in April 2024 due to a West African heatwave exacerbated by climate change, and an 80% increase in onion and potato prices in India due to a heatwave considered "largely unique."
- The phenomenon of "climateflation" is a concern for health-and-wellness and environmental-science experts, as these extreme weather-related price spikes reduce access to healthy diets and contribute to diet-related diseases, particularly for low-income households.
- To tackle this issue, experts urge governments, farmers, and consumers to adapt and take measures to mitigate the impact on food security and affordability, aiming to reduce emission levels and adapt to climate change in the food-and-drink sector, lifestyle, nutrition, and the entire health-and-wellness industry.
