4. Fossil fuel pollution impacts on crops - this is not a result of climate change per se, but is included since it is due to the same root cause (fossil fuel use):
2. Farmer mental health taking a toll - in the U.S. (bit.ly/3fUDrtn) and internationally, in extreme cases leading to suicide (bit.ly/39uhXlw)
Most worryingly, we are now seeing a rapid increase in frequency of extreme weather, whereby farmers are being devastated by 2, 3 or sometimes more incidents in short succession. Recent examples:
a) South Korea hit by a succession of typhoons: bit.ly/33kW7Nt
b) In the US: flooding, drought and a derecho storm in Iowa
e) Central America hit by back-to-back hurricanes after being 'pounded by year-after-year of crop-destroying droughts' thoroughly devastating food-security. Throw COVID in, and:
Farmers in the Sundarbans written off as “hapless” future climate refugees-
“Climate change-induced cyclones, floods, salinity intrusion, land degradation & riverbank erosion along the coastal blocks of Sundarbans have affected people’s livelihood”
https://t.co/uVpUUGlVCFscmp.com/week-asia/econ…
'Torrential rains swept across South Korea's farmlands in the central region last month, leaving more than 40 dead or missing, & large swaths of fields under water'
President warns 'extreme weather should be expected as the norm because of climate change' zawya.com/en/world/china…
'With extreme heat becoming a fixture of Europe's summers, the continent's food supply is becoming chronically hampered by the worsening drought. Food companies are left struggling in the face of shrinking crops and rising prices'
'China’s grain output for the year is not looking good, as the summer yield is down & more extreme weather looms... already faced rarely seen bouts of bad weather this summer, & the subsequently higher risks including drought, flooding & less plant growth' scmp.com/economy/china-…
'the hot and dry weather that fuelled historic wildfires in Alberta has contributed to a scourge of grasshoppers now threatening to strip already stunted crops'
'China is currently grappling with a combination of floods and extreme heat, posing challenges to its agricultural sector... unforeseen weather events have disrupted wheat harvests and threatened pig and fish farming.'
'Meanwhile: Wildfires and shifting climate patterns imperil water sources on forested lands, as reservoirs "face dwindling inflows and are filling with sediment, increasing flood risk and reducing their capacity to respond to drought"'