Home » Understanding ‘climateflation’
A new consortium of academics, campaigners and analysts has come together to assess the impact that climate-related extreme weather has had on UK food supplies in recent years, and quantify the possible future impacts as the world warms further.
Devastating impacts on food production, both in the UK and globally, can be linked to climate change.
Farmers here had to contend with the highest-ever UK temperatures in 2022, alongside drought conditions that were followed by the wettest 18 months on record.
Together, these events hit the harvest of vital crops such as potatoes, wheat, barley and everyday vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli.
Globally, crops such as cocoa, olives and sugar have all seen record-breaking prices, partly due to the impacts of extreme weather.
At the same time, food price inflation has hit British citizens hard, with millions experiencing food insecurity and struggling to afford nutritious food to protect their long-term health.
‘We have seen food shortages caused by climate change-driven extreme weather events. These food shortages have driven spikes in food prices around the world. This climate change-induced food price inflation has been termed ‘climateflation’. This project examines the links between food prices and climate change, and will propose actions to deal with climateflation now and in the future.’
PETE SMITH
Principal investigator on the project and Professor of Soils and Global Change at the University of Aberdeen
Independent analysis commissioned by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), one of the partners in the project, found that in 2022 and 2023, extreme weather and fossil fuels had added £605 to the average household food shop.
Since 2021, items such as olive oil, sugar, tomatoes and onions have all seen production hit and prices rise as a result of extreme weather events.
‘This exciting new project will help us understand the link between climate change and food prices and their knock-on effects on the affordability of nutritious food and human health. Importantly we’ll also be researching policy measures which can help make citizens more resilient to climate-related food price volatility.’
ANNA TAYLOR
Executive director at the Food Foundation
The project will seek to assess, for the first time, the extent of recent climate-induced food price shocks on UK food supplies, prices and production.
It will use novel methods to quantify the impact that projected climate change may have in the future on access to nutritious foods and therefore human health.
This will inform what policies will be needed across agriculture, public procurement and the wider supply chain to be able to better adapt to these impacts, build resilience and reduce the impacts on food prices in the future.
‘We already know a lot about the risks climate change poses for human health but food is often a neglected piece of the puzzle. Without a reliable and affordable supply of healthy food the UK’s health will worsen, adding to the burden on the NHS. This project will help to make visible the links between climate change, food prices and our health so that we can help the UK’s food system to adapt.’
ROSIE GREEN
Professor of Environment, Food and Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The project will run for two and a half years, and will seek to communicate the findings of the research during this time to ensure policymakers have the information they need to act as soon as they can.
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