Food shock is inevitable because of the Iran war – and it...

What’s Happening

Let’s talk about Even if the conflict in the Middle East ends today, higher fuel, fertiliser and pesticide prices will lead to a food shock in the coming months.

There is no easy way out, but accelerating the net-zero transition will help prevent future shocks Insight and Environment Food shock is inevitable because of the Iran war – and it could get rough Even if the conflict in the Middle East ends today, higher fuel, fertiliser and pesticide prices will lead to a food shock in the coming months. Could we be headed for a new record – the worst food shock ever – as fuel, fertiliser and pesticide prices skyrocket because of the turmoil in Iran? (it feels like chaos)

Faced with soaring costs, many farmers are likely to plant less in the coming weeks, leading to shortfalls and rising food prices later this year.

The Details

This is already happening, but just how rough it will get depends on many factors, from how long the war continues to how hard global warming-fuelled weather extremes hit crops this year. Is the climate change food crisis even worse than we imagined?

“The potential is there for this to develop into a major crisis for weak and hungry people,” says Matin Qaim at the University of Bonn in Germany. “We are in a bit of a immaculate storm, and there isnt any easy way out of this, says Tim Benton at the University of Leeds, UK.

Why This Matters

Even if everything was solved tomorrow, it will take some time, as weve found with post-covid reconstruction. ” After declining for decades after the 1970s peak, global food prices have, in real terms, been rising since the 2000s and arent far off that 1970s record. Climate change is a big factor, with more extreme heat, floods and storms hitting yields , sometimes to the extent of causing global food shocks like that seen in 2010.

The scientific community tends to find developments like this significant.

The Bottom Line

Climate change is a big factor, with more extreme heat, floods and storms hitting yields , sometimes to the extent of causing global food shocks like that seen in 2010. The covid-19 pandemic and Russias war on Ukraine also led to big jumps.

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