Yes, the climate crisis is raising your grocery bills
F amilies around the world are struggling with higher grocery costs and electricity and heating bills. What they may not realize is that rising inflation is increasingly driven by another global crisis: climate change.
Last year, the United States incurred over $2bn in costs due to 20 climate-related extreme weather events, from Hurricane Ian to heatwaves and drought. Lumber, cotton, tomatoes, wheat, and energy – and the products they generate, from denim jeans to your Italian takeout dinner – were all affected by these events and are now more expensive than this time last year. Climate-driven extreme weather and disasters are now more frequently responsible for production shortages, supply chain disruptions, and labor issues that lead to higher costs of living.
The cost of food is particularly susceptible to climate-related shocks like droughts, floods or wildfires. For example, the cost of eggs in the US rose by 60% in 2022. In addition to increased demand and a spike in avian flu, climate-fueled droughts and heatwaves made growing chicken feed 30% more expensive. Climate change has also harmed the growth of cotton in Texas, oranges in Florida, and tomatoes in California.
Around the world, this affects lower-income people the most; they tend to spend a greater share of their income on food. In developing countries, communities will feel the effects of climate change on their wallets and livelihoods even more severely: the price of food has soared over 24% in Nigeria and 62.7% in Egypt in the last year.
Egypt is experiencing the inflationary consequences of war and climate change. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine limits wheat production from Europe’s breadbasket and drives up wheat prices, Egyptian farmers are battling
Read more on theguardian.com
