Food scarcity, malnutrition triggered by climate change to kill thousands by 2050

Food scarcity and malnutrition, triggered by climate change, could lead to half a million extra deaths by 2050, grim new research indicates.

The deaths, say researchers in England and the United States, could occur as a result of changes in diets and bodyweight from decreased crop productivity. The researchers found that fewer fruits and vegetables would be available as a result of climatic changes. That decrease will increase rates of heart diseases, strokes and cancer, they found.

Three-quarters of the projected extra deaths will be in China and India.

Unless action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, climate change would cut the fruit and vegetables available to people in 2050 by 4 per cent, the calories available by 3 per cent and the red and processed meat by 0.7 per cent, the study found.

Read TheStar.com story - “Climate change could cause 500,000 more deaths in 2050.”