Extreme weather to become the "new normal", World Bank says
Related Topics
Related tags
- Food and drink ,
- Adaptation
Author
Declines in agricultural production caused by climate change will have severe repercussions for food security and may damage economic growth and social stability, according to the World Bank.
Heatwaves and other extreme weather that previously occurred only once in hundreds of years may now be far more frequent because the earth’s atmospheric system is locked into warming close to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by mid-century, the bank said in a new report.
The report was prepared by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and analyses the likely impacts of warming of 0.8°C, 2°C and 4°C above pre-industrial levels on agricultural production, water resources, ecosystem services and coastal vulnerability around the world.
The report focuses on three regions: Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa and parts of Europe and Central Asia. Extreme heat, similar to that experienced in the US in 2012 and Russia and Central Asia in 2010, is a threat common to all these areas, it said.
In Brazil, for example, crop yields could decrease by up to 70% for soybean and up to 50% for wheat by 2050 if the world warms by 2°C, the analysis found, while a similar level of warming would reduce crop yields in Jordan, Egypt and Libya by up to 30% by the middle of the century.
The findings underline how global temperature rises are increasingly threatening the health and livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations, the bank said.
Jim Yong Kim, president of the bank, said: “These changes have serious consequences for development budgets, and for institutions like the World Bank Group, where our investments, support and advice must now also build resilience and help affected populations adapt.”
Transform articles
National climate plans could see fossil fuel demand peak by 2025
Demand for fossil fuels will peak by 2025 if all national net-zero pledges are implemented in full and on time, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has forecast.
Climate change remains one of the top issues most concerning the UK public, despite the economic turmoil experienced over the last 18 months, a poll commissioned by IEMA has found.
Almost one-third of Europe's largest companies have now set net-zero emissions targets, but far less are set to deliver on their ambitions.
A group of world-leading climate scientists has today warned that carbon pricing is currently too low to deliver a just transition to a net-zero economy, and that "urgent reforms" are needed.
The Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) in Kew has today unveiled a new strategy to tackle biodiversity loss and develop sustainable nature-based solutions to some of humanity’s biggest global challenges.
How to Save Our Planet is call to action that aims to equip everyone with the knowledge needed to make change. We need to deal with climate change, environmental destruction and global poverty, and ensure everyone’s security.
Hannah Lesbirel and Beccy Wilson speak to IEMA members about climate anxiety
Seven of the UK's 17 key industry sectors are still increasing their emissions year-on-year, and most will miss their 2050 net-zero targets without significant government action, new research suggests.
The UK government’s former chief scientific adviser Sir David King talks to Chris Seekings about his career, the latest IPCC report, COVID-19 and COP26
