Many agriculturalists claim that there is enough food available to feed all of the world's people. Instead, human factors, such as civil war and blockades of food shipments (relief shipments) have contributed to mass starvation and malnutrition in some developing countries.
Many inhabitants of rural villages in developing nations rely on subsistence farming for their food supply. Subsistence farming only produces enough food for an entire village, meaning that food cannot be sold for profit.
Unfortunately, the climates of developing nations present a problem for subsistence farming. Droughts, severe heat waves, tropical storms, and monsoons are a few of the climate conditions that present difficulties for farming. If climatologists' predictions are correct, global warming will increase the average temperature of regions near the equator, which could lead to an increase in the frequency and severity of tropical storms.
Scientists predict that rising temperatures resulting from greenhouse gas emissions will cause only a slight decline in world grain production, causing prices to rise, but leaving most industrial nations unharmed. We should therefore harness this opportunity now to provide relief shipments of food to impoverished countries with severe famines and food shortages. (Unfortunately, grain can't be grown in southern latitudes; refer below).
Climatologists used computer simulation models to predict the effects of global warming on crop yields. These detailed studies revealed that northern regions of the world will have increased crop yields. For example, the Yukon Territory might be an ideal place to farm in one hundred years, assuming that no effort to curb carbon dioxide emissions is taken within the next few years, and that climatologists' bleak predictions of the effects of global warming transpire. Average temperatures will increase in northern regions such as the Yukon Territory, thus raising temperatures so that snow cover will be reduced throughout the year. These factors will provide the ideal conditions to farm in the Yukon Territory. If a global famine does erupt, we should use our increased crop yields to feed the hungry.
Scientists also found that the basic subsistence crops that many developing nations in the southern latitutes rely on are wheat, maize, rice, and soybeans. These crops would not fare as well under the stress caused by increased heat and higher evaporation rates. Crop yields will be stunted by higher temperatures and damaged by their increased difficulty in retaining water. In addition, heat accelerates the growth cycle; therefore, the crops that will be produced will have less time to accumulate carbohydrates and are thus less nutritious. Scientists therefore conclude that 60 million to 350 million people could face critical food shortages by the year 2060 if no action is taken now to stagnate and eliminate the atrocious effects of global warming.
Fortunately, there may be a few factors that could offset a global famine. Scientists have found that the presence of heightened levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase crop productivity by enhancing photosynthesis rates, but only to a certain extent. The damaging effects of the increased heat may not permit this action to transpire.
There were also a few other factors that these studies did not take into account. Clouds have been found to reduce the average temperature of certain regions. Since global warming will bring an increased humidity rate, more water vapour will form, thus creating more clouds. The size, frequency, and shape of clouds is virtually impossible to predict; therefore, clouds might have a beneficial effect by lowering average temperatures, and allowing crops in southern latitudes to grow.
Similarly, scientists have also found that night time temperatues will increase more than day time temperatures. Since virtually no evaporation occurs at night, crops in southern latitudes may be able to retain their moisture and water supplies, and thus grow more efficiently without losing essential nutrients and carbohydrates.
However, these positive insights don't mean that we can stand by and allow a massive global famine occur, and allowing starvation victims to increase by 60 million to 350 million. We must take action to stagnate and elmininate the adverse effects of global warming today. (These tips can be found in the "solutions to global warming" section). In addition, we must donate generously to charities that deal with malnutrition relief, such as UNICEF. Together, we can reduce starvation and malnutrition by providing starvation victims with food and other necessary supplies, prevent global warming, and stagnate the effects of a global famine, should it occur.