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Essential Food Items Becoming Expensive Due to Climate Change

Due to the adverse effects of global warming, many staple crops are struggling to thrive.

Updated on: 17 March, 2022 8:53 AM IST By: Kritika Madhukar
Due to the changing climatic conditions, prices of chocolate are likely to soar

The threat that climate change will pose on food production and agriculture worldwide has been emphasized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II. According to a recent report, climate change will cause a negative impact on agricultural systems and will significantly reduce the levels of food production of staples such as rice, paddy, grains, etc. 

Enlisted are some specific food products that you will see less and pay more for as a result of climate change. 

Rice 

Rice is the most widely consumed food across the world. It is a staple for nearly half the world's entire population. However, as the sea levels are on the rise and soil salinity and flood are threatening major growing areas, rice has consequently gained market value and its prices are skyrocketing due to its limited production.  

Wheat 

Wheat production, another staple crop for most of the world, will suffer, as global average temperatures continue rising.

Warm climatic conditions and droughts will significantly decrease the potential growing regions of wheat. This will result in higher prices of wheat and wheat-based products such as pasta, bread, etc.  

Corn 

Commonly produced in the regions of South and Central American countries, corn is also a staple crop. The crop of corn is sensitive to changes in temperature and needs a lot of water to grow. The rise in global climatic temperature will negatively affect its production.  

Chocolate 

The prices of chocolate are also on the verge of rising. Due to the limiting yielding of cocoa beans, it is struggling to meet the demands of consumers.

Climate change has made several cocoa-growing regions excessively dry and hot to maintain large harvesting crops of cocoa,  which has resulted in an increase in global demand and chocolate prices. 

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