Building Economic Resilience to the Health Impacts of Climate Change 2025

Food and agriculture key takeaways BOX 1 3.1 The food and agriculture sector 3.2 Health impactsThe food and agriculture sector plays a fundamental role in sustaining human life, health and well-being. The sector comprises a wide range of interconnected activities, grouped into four segments: agricultural technology, agriculture, livestock production, food processing, and distribution and retail. Agricultural workers make up roughly 30% of the entire global labour force20 and are present in all regions. The sector faces significant challenges, including declining crop nutrient density and the increasing cost of agricultural inputs. Without sufficient action, climate change will increase risks to crop yields, labour conditions and input availability. Strengthening resilience in food systems is vital for global health. Climate change threatens global food production, putting 24 million additional people at risk of hunger by 2050 under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 2 (SSP2).21 Top climate-driven health risks for food and agriculture consumers TABLE 1 Malnutrition High temperatures and extreme weather destabilize crop yields, increasing the prevalence of malnutrition, thereby exacerbating the severity of other diseases.Food-borne illness Higher temperatures increase pathogen growth rates, and extreme weather events raise the risk of food contamination.Mental health Food disruptions and rising food prices lead to anxiety and other mental health issues, especially in low-income populations. –The food and agriculture sector provides nutrition for all and employs nearly a billion people globally (roughly 30% of the total labour force).16 –The sector is at the front line of climate- health risks. By 2050, climate change could cause up to a 35% decline in production across staple and non-staple crops,17 a 20% rise in malnutrition rates18 and increases in food-borne illnesses and mental ill-health. Demand could increase by 50% over the same period, however.19 –Agricultural workers face significant climate- health risks, including extreme heat, vector- borne disease, zoonoses and respiratory disease. This report estimates that the global agriculture workforce will face at least 130 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs), resulting in at least $740 billion in lost output from select climate-health illnesses, from 2025 to 2050. –Businesses have the opportunity to protect health by meeting demand for nutrient-dense food products and climate-resilient cultivation. Strengthening resilience in food systems and protecting workers are vital actions for global health. Agricultural and food-processing workers are often engaged in labour-intensive outdoor work with low pay or security, and are therefore particularly vulnerable. Modelling shows that, globally, the agricultural workforce is projected to incur at least 600,000 deaths and 130 million DALYs from 2025 to 2050 due to select climate- health risks. Building Economic Resilience to the Health Impacts of Climate Change 16