Climate Change and Agriculture: Rising Ocean Temperatures Threaten Global Food Security
Climate change is profoundly impacting our oceans, accelerating warming that disrupts marine ecosystems, weather patterns, and human societies. Recent studies reveal that ocean temperatures are now rising at 0.27 degrees Celsius per decade, a stark increase from 0.06 degrees per decade in the late 1980s. This rapid warming is largely driven by the Earth's growing energy imbalance, where greenhouse gas emissions trap more heat, reducing the planet’s ability to cool itself. While some of this warming is linked to El Niño, researchers found that 44% of it was due to oceans absorbing heat at an accelerated rate. As Professor Chris Merchant from the University of Reading notes, "With climate change, it's the oceans that set the pace."
The consequences of this warming extend far beyond the ocean. Warmer waters fuel stronger hurricanes, prolonged heatwaves, and devastating wildfires. Between 2023 and early 2024, sea surface temperatures hit record highs for 450 consecutive days, contributing to extreme weather events that disrupted economies worldwide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that as climate change intensifies, these disruptions will become more frequent, impacting key industries, especially agriculture. Agriculture and fisheries, both highly dependent on stable climate conditions, are now facing unpredictable shifts in temperature, water availability, and weather patterns—posing severe risks to global food security.
Long-term fluctuations in weather patterns could have extreme impacts on agricultural production, slashing crop yields and forcing farmers to adopt new agricultural practices in response to altered conditions.
Rising global temperatures are already affecting agricultural yields. While increased carbon dioxide (CO₂) can sometimes promote plant growth, these benefits are conditional on water availability, soil nutrients, and temperature stability. Crops have an optimal temperature range for growth; surpassing this range leads to lower yields and quality loss. Despite advances in agricultural technology, heat stress, droughts, and erratic rainfall have caused significant crop losses in recent years. Livestock, too, suffer from heat stress, which affects reproduction and overall health. Meanwhile, fisheries are struggling with warming waters that disrupt breeding patterns and force species migration, threatening coastal economies that depend on them.
These climate-driven disruptions are already straining global food supply chains. The EPA warns that extreme weather events will increasingly interrupt food transportation networks, affecting the movement of essential commodities like grain. Food-producing regions are becoming more vulnerable to erratic weather, causing price spikes in staple crops. In developing countries, limited access to irrigation, climate-resilient seeds, and other adaptive technologies further exacerbate food shortages. Globally, rising demand, unpredictable weather, and supply chain vulnerabilities will drive food prices higher, raising concerns about humanitarian crises and geopolitical instability.
How can procurement leaders adapt to these growing challenges? One industry expert stressed the importance of reassessing sourcing strategies, warning that relying on a single supplier is no longer a viable option. With climate disruptions becoming more frequent, companies must broaden their supplier base across different regions to reduce risk. Helios’s platform makes this process significantly easier by allowing businesses to track multiple suppliers in real-time, monitor key performance indicators, access relevant news, analyze a water stress map for over 60 crops, and much more! Taking proactive steps such as evaluating environmental risks, establishing relationships with multiple suppliers, and enhancing logistics will be key to maintaining stability. Building a more adaptable and resilient supply network will help businesses navigate the unpredictability of climate-related disruptions while ensuring a steady flow of essential goods.
