US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Extreme heat threatens global food systems, UN agencies warn
The agencies said extreme heat is already costing half a trillion work hours a year and could intensify without faster adaptation and emissions cuts.
- The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Meteorological Organization reported extreme heat is pushing global food systems to "the brink," threatening livelihoods and health of more than a billion people.
- Extreme heat acts as a "major risk multiplier," said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, intensifying droughts and wildfires while cutting crop yields once temperatures exceed about 30 degrees Celsius.
- Prolonged heat in Brazil during 2023 and 2024 cut soybean yields by as much as 20 per cent, while a 2025 heat event in Kyrgyzstan caused a 25 per cent decline in cereal harvests.
- Marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent, with 91 per cent of the world's oceans experiencing at least one such event in 2024, depleting oxygen and threatening fish stocks.
- The FAO and WMO called for better risk governance and early-warning weather systems to help farmers and fishers take preventive action, stating piecemeal responses are inadequate.
Insights by Ground AI
25 Articles
25 Articles
Heatwaves can pose a threat to the health and livelihoods of more than one billion people.
·Montreal, Canada
Read Full Article
Africa: Extreme Heat Pushing Global Food Systems to the Brink, UN Agencies Warn
Extreme heat is pushing global food and farming systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods of over a billion people as rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves redefine how food is produced worldwide, a new UN report warns.
·South Africa
Read Full Article
The increase in extreme heat episodes undermines global agriculture and threatens the livelihoods of more than 1 billion people, according to a report by FAO and WMO.
·France
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources25
Leaning Left0Leaning Right3Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
C 57%
R 43%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
