Climate change to impact food supply chains and create ‘domino effect’

Climate change is set to impact the country’s food systems and supply chains, with rural communities to be hit hardest, a study shows.  

Research from the University of Sydney published in Nature Food states revealed that extreme weather events will have a domino effect on income, food and nutrient availability.  

The research, led by Dr Arunima Malik from the Integrated Sustainability Analysis (ISA) group, analysed the climate change impacts across different sectors and regions in Australia.   

It said that rural communities will feel the adverse effects first and the hardest. 

The paper also said that more affluent communities will be in a better position to withstand the inevitable financial impact. 

“Climate change can directly impact our economy, livelihoods and health,” Dr Malik said.  

“Disruptions caused by extreme weather events can cascade across regions and sectors, resulting in job and income losses and impacts on food availability,” she said. 

Previous research from ISA also showed that localised disasters (such as a cyclone in Queensland) can impact the country’s primary secondary and tertiary sectors. 

The latest study said that no matter where you live, climate change will eventually take a toll. 

“What plays out globally seems to play out locally as well,” study co-author Manfred Lenzen said.  

“Everyone is affected by climate change, even if they’re not in areas directly hit by extreme weather, and the vulnerable are affected most,” he said. 

The paper also found such impacts could cause localised food price increases and diminished food quality.  

Impacts on food production are also expected to affect employment and income losses in the food, transportation and service sectors.   

The research integrated a nutritional framework with regional supply chain impacts and employment and income loss models, providing a holistic view of the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. 

The findings could help prepare for the challenge of climate change.  

“Frameworks such as this could well be used to inform decision-making processes by governments and other organising bodies,” Dr Malik said. 

“It is vitally important that communities and organisations have an awareness of these impacts to encourage better mitigation planning and climate change resilience,” she stressed. 

With news from AAP. Content has been edited for style and length.