Hot days put millions in food insecurity – 08/21/2023 – Environment

A few days of extreme heat could be enough to put millions of people into food insecurity, depriving them of their daily financial gains, warned a study published on Monday (21).

The research, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, shows that the consequences of high temperatures can be immediate for the poorest workers.

“If it’s hot today, food insecurity can arrive in a few days, because people can’t work, they don’t earn money and, therefore, they don’t have the means to buy what to eat,” explained to AFP the study’s lead author, Carolin Kroeger of the University of Oxford.

Research shows, for example, that a week of extreme temperatures in India means eight million more people are experiencing acute food insecurity.

In this way, the same heat wave can cause hunger for millions of people, according to the results of the analysis in 150 countries, mainly in tropical and subtropical zones.

People whose payments are by the piece or by income are the most vulnerable.

The study cites the example of women in West Bengal (India) whose salary depends on how many bricks a day they transport. When temperatures reach their maximum levels, they can lose up to 50% of their income.

“The greatest effects occur in low-income countries, with more agricultural and vulnerable jobs”, points out Carolin Kroeger.

In 2021, 470 billion working hours were lost — equivalent to nearly a week and a half of work per person worldwide — due to extreme heat.

Kroeger points out that “miniinsurance and improved labor rights” could improve this situation.

The researchers also found that rising temperatures affect the level of essential nutrients in many of the food crops.

According to the UN’s IPCC (intergovernmental group of experts on climate change), hundreds of millions of people will suffer at least 30 days of deadly heat every year by 2080.