How record-breaking extreme weather is killing millions of farm animals – and driving up food prices
Eleven cases of extreme weather worldwide killed nearly 15 million farm animals, many of whom drowned in cages or suffocated in heatwaves, according to a new report
Wimbledon and the green scent of cut grass hung in the humid air. There was not a breath of wind. Jugs of Pimm’s filled empty glasses. Cream spilled gently over the reddest of strawberries. Top tennis seeds, dressed all in white, strained sinews to return every ball.
It could only be the Wimbledon Lawn Championships. But by 4pm, the temperature on the courts reached a searing 32.2 degrees Celsius – the hottest opening day on record.
Wimbledon was not alone. Whilst players there were given ice packs, cold towels and plenty of water, attendees at Glastonbury, Ascot and other events this summer also faced scorching temperatures and were forced to seek shade. Ascot attracted over 41,000 spectators on the Wednesday, where heat-related illness meant that dozens required medical assistance.
Breaking records
Scotland also had its hottest day for two years, with a temperature of 32.2C recorded at Aviemore, its highest ever. According to the Met Office, extreme weather is the new normal, with the impacts increasingly clear across the world.
Turkey recently experienced record highs hitting an incredible 50.5C. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in the wake of wildfires that tragically claimed at least 17 lives. South-eastern Europe also reeled under heat waves, with many countries battling raging wildfires.
Behind all these extreme weather events is the relentless rise in average temperatures driven by climate change, with the inevitable impact on people, animals and the natural world.
‘Climate Doom Loop’
A new report, Climate Doom Loop: Factory farming’s toll on animals, farmers and food exposes the impact of industrial animal production on climate change, emphasising the need for dietary changes and sustainable farming practices.
The report shows that in just 11 extreme weather incidences alone worldwide, more than 50 million people have been impacted and nearly 15 million farmed animals killed. Many of the animals were left to drown in cages or suffocate in heatwaves.
The economic cost of this devastation, caused by heatwaves in the UK and Europe, hurricanes in the US, flooding in Italy and Brazil, and wild weather across Asia and Africa, added up to an estimated cost of $120 billion. Yet, these effects are but a snapshot of the bigger picture.
To break the destructive loop, the report advises governments to switch to more climate and nature-friendly farming practices and ensure our food system aligns with planetary boundaries.
Action on our plate
Which all underscores the urgent need to take action to curb greenhouse gas emissions. All aspects of society must be radically transformed to align with the global temperature limits of the United Nations’ Paris Agreement, which set a target of keeping average global temperature rise within 1.5C.
Much political attention has since rightly focused on the energy transition. However, the way we produce and consume food also has a big role to play in creating the changes we so greatly need. Animal agriculture, dominated by factory farming, is responsible for more direct emissions than all the world’s planes, trains and cars combined.
According to a survey of 200 leading climate, food and agriculture scientists by Harvard University, to align with the Paris Agreement, global emissions from animal production must decline by 50 per cent during the next six years. They went on to say that this must be accomplished without negatively impacting farmed animal welfare.
Most agree that reducing the consumption of animal products has the potential to make very large contributions to reducing emissions.
Impact on food prices
At the same time, new research links last year’s surges in the price of potatoes in the UK, cabbages in South Korea, onions in India and cocoa in Ghana to weather extremes that “exceeded all historical precedent prior to 2020”.
A study led by Maximillian Kotz, of the Barcelona Supercomputer Centre, directly linked dozens of climate extremes to sharp food price rises, highlighting the increasing vulnerability of food systems to environmental shocks. The new research shows that specific food items also experience much steeper short-term price increases, which feed into inflation.
Climate change-induced food price shocks are on the rise and could lead to more malnutrition, political upheaval and social unrest as the world’s poorest are hit by shortages of food staples. Whichever way we look at it, weather extremes brought about by climate change are impacting the poorest and the most vulnerable in our society.
Future is ours to shape
We have scientists, analysts and report after report warning us of the catastrophic nature of climate change. But are policymakers listening hard enough and, crucially, taking decisive enough action?
A recent landmark ruling by International Court of Justice in The Hague says countries can now sue each other over climate change if they feel sufficient action hasn’t been taken. The unprecedented case was the brainchild of a group of young law students from low-lying Pacific islands on the frontlines of climate change. It will be seen as a victory for countries that are particularly vulnerable to temperature rise, frustrated at lack of global progress in tackling the problem.
The rising heat – from Wimbledon’s courts to the Highlands – is more than a seasonal anomaly; it’s a warning. But warnings can also be catalysts. With the right choices – shifting how we produce and consume food, supporting nature-friendly farming, and demanding bold climate action – we can still change course. The clock is ticking, but the future remains ours to shape.
Philip Lymbery is chief executive of Compassion in World Farming, president of EuroGroup for Animals and UN Food Systems Advisory Board member. His latest book is Sixty Harvests Left: How to Reach a Nature-Friendly Future. Philip is on X/Twitter @philip_ciwf
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