Climate change effect: 9 crore Indians at risk of hunger by 2030, says report

A recent study has revealed that climate change will put nearly 23% more Indians at risk of hunger by 2030 due to a fall in agricultural production and disruption in food supply chains.

The Global Food Policy Report 2022 by the International Food Policy Research Institute showed that without climate change, 7.39 crore Indians would have suffered due to hunger by 2030.

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However, researchers found that 9.06 crore citizens (22.69% more) will be at risk if climate change is taken into account.  

India's aggregate food production - an index, by weight, of cereals, meats, fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, pulses, roots and tubers - is likely to fall from 1.627 in normal circumstances to 1.549 if climate change is factored into, the report added.

The projections have been made under a model called IMPACT, which simulates national and international agricultural markets by surveying economic, water, and crop models across the world.

The report also talked about temperature across India and projected that it may rise between 2.4 degrees Celsius and 4.4 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. Summer heatwaves are also projected to triple or quadruple by 2100. 

The rise in average temperature is likely to impact agricultural production. The report projects that agricultural yields may fall by 1.8 to 6.6 percent by 2041-2060 and by 7.2 to 23.6 percent by 2061-2080 due to climate change.

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