Josh Soto

ENG1010
Final Draft 3

In the web article, Climate Changes Impact On Global Diets Could Kill Half A Million
People In 2050, writer, Claire Groden, shares information discovered by researchers from the
Martin Future of Food Program at Oxford University. The researchers made a model of the
effects of climate change on the global food supply and how itll impact the health of everyone
worldwide. Published in British medical journal, The Lancet, was the first attempt to quantify
how climate change could immensely create chaos, not just in extreme storms and natural
disasters, but in an agricultural perspective. The research shows that global warming can cut food
availability by one-third; this equates to consuming about 100 less calories each day. Researchers
also found the majority of the 529,000 extra deaths in 2050 would be in Asia, more specifically
India and China. This finding was correlated with food supply shortages. In an Oxford press
release lead author, Marco Springman, said that they looked at health effects according to
changes in agricultural production that are most likely to happen as a result from climate change.
They found that even the most conservative reductions in the availability of food per person
could lead to changes in energy content and composition of diets as well as these changes
having major adverse effects on our health.
I found these conclusions to their research very interesting in just the fact that these are
the first models to quantify the effect of climate change, but also in an agricultural standpoint.
When the billions living in China and India come to mind, 529,000 doesnt seem like anything at
all, its actually way less than just one percent of both their total populations combined. Although

the numerical data is small in relation to their populations, it should not be treated proportionally
to its significance. It makes sense also, why the greatest impact would be felt in India and China;
because of how densely populated both countries are. Humans produce CO each time we
exhale, and when that becomes multiplied by the billions in such a concentrated area, the effects
are even more-so. There is always a beginning point somewhere, and thats when it is crucial to
take action. With food supply being reduced by about thirty-three percent, this will increase
global hunger. When Marco Springman stated because of food shortages people will have a
change in energy content, most likely a decrease, went together somewhat hand-in-hand. If
people are consuming fewer calories, then of course their energy levels will drop; but how will
this drop affect society and work performances. Even though consuming 100 calories less each
day is fairly small, in time if this number rises, can have an impact on everyday tasks. The article
also stated that individuals would consume approximately four percent less fruits and vegetables
because of lowered availability. Lastly, the impact of everyones health is another issue to bring
attention to. Aside from having to cut back on calories, the quality of the food itself is something
to question and be cautious about. If food quality is lowered that not only can cripple developing
countries, but also damage global powers as well.
The upside to all of this is that there is still time to prevent what can happen. Climate
change is a very serious topic and the predictions are frightening, however, they are still just
predictions that are based upon our current behavior. Its obvious that fossil fuels are harming our
atmosphere, governments and corporations need to accept this. Cities and states need to come
together as countries to come up with cleaner and more efficient ways of supplying and using
energy. Funding for research in making these alternative ways needs to be increased as well as
accepted.