Many climate experts believe that one of the biggest impacts of climate change for Britain in the next 5-10 years will be food: shortages of supplies, and sharply rising prices. We can already see this starting.
Global warming causes more frequent and extreme weather events, such as torrential rain, severe droughts, and high winds. These reduce crop yields or cause complete harvest failures. Climate impacts on agriculture will be worse in other countries, such as the Mediterranean area where much of our fruit and veg are imported from. In South-West England, we could increase production if we adapt crops and cultivation methods (see research summary here).
The Bridport Food Matters website provides a comprehensive guide to climate responses on food issues, including:
- Finding suppliers of local produce.
- Grow your own, with climate adaptation.
- Local food access and food bank projects.
- Healthy affordable recipes.
- Climate responses for consumers and producers.