Over nine crore Indians will be at risk of hungry by 2030 due to climate change
The Global Food Policy Report 2022 by the International Food Policy Research Institute has warned about climate change pushing more Indians towards hunger by 2030 due to a dip in agricultural production and food supply chain disruption.
Here are the key takeaways from the latest report:
Over nine crore Indians will be at risk of hunger by 2030 due to climate change. This is a 23% increase in the 'at risk' population, which will stand at 7.39 crore in normal circumstances.
India's aggregate food production - an index, by weight, of cereals, meats, fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, pulses, roots and tubers - is likely to fall from 1.627 in normal circumstances to 1.549 if climate change is factored into.
There is likely to be a minor dip in average calories consumption by 2030 - from 2,697 kcal per capita/day in normal circumstances to 2,651 kcal per capita/day due to climate change.
The average temperature across India is projected to rise between 2.4 degree Celsius and 4.4 degree Celsius by 2100. Summer heat waves are also projected to triple or quadruple by 2100, the report notes.
The rise in average temperature is likely to impact agricultural production. The report projects that agricultural yields may fall by 1.8 to 6.6 percent by 2041-2060 and by 7.2 to 23.6 percent by 2061-2080 due to climate change.
The report suggests switching from rice to other crops in the "water-scarce northwest and peninsular India to reduce greenhouse emissions". "The area under rice could be reduced in the region without threatening food security," it notes.
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