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A study titled “Climate Extremes, Food Price Increases, and Broader Social Risks” reveals significant impacts of extreme weather events on global food prices. Conducted by researchers from Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom, it analyzes the effects of such climatic events worldwide.
The researchers found that droughts in 2022 and 2023 in Spain and Italy led to a 50% increase in olive oil prices the following year. In Brazil, coffee prices rose by 55% in August 2024 after a drought in 2023. Similarly, in Mexico, fruit and vegetable prices surged by 20% in January 2024 due to the same climatic conditions experienced in 2023.
This trend was also observed in other countries. For instance, in Ethiopia, food prices increased by 40% in March 2023 following a year of insufficient rainfall.
During the extreme heat experienced in 2023 and 2024 across various countries, cocoa prices soared by 280% in Ghana and Ivory Coast. In South Africa, heatwaves caused the cost of maize to rise by 36%, while in India, potatoes and onions became 89% more expensive.
Meanwhile, in China, Japan, and Indonesia, where rice consumption is higher, its prices increased by 30%, 48%, and 16%, respectively.
Intense rainfall also led to price surges.
In the United Kingdom, potato prices rose by 22% between January and February 2024, following an unusually wet winter. In Pakistan, flooding contributed to a 50% rise in food prices in August 2022, while in Australia, lettuce prices spiked by 300% post-2022 flooding.
“Unusually high temperatures directly accelerate food price increases,” noted the researchers, emphasizing that these impacts are evident in both the short and long term. Soil degradation leads to weaker harvests, increasing vulnerability to droughts or floods.
The year 2024 marked the warmest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization, with temperatures surpassing the 1.5ºC limit set by the Paris Agreement.
