Scientists have found for the first time that efforts to keep global temperatures in check will likely lead to more people going hungry.
Previous studies have shown that climate change reduces how much food farms can produce, which could lead to more people suffering from hunger.
Curbing the greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change can help maintain the yields of existing crops. But there might be indirect ways in which cutting emissions could actually put more people at risk of going hungry, researchers said.
For example, some grasses and other vegetation used for biofuels require agricultural land that might otherwise be used for food production. So, increased biofuel consumption could negatively affect the food supply.
Also, the high cost of low-emissions technologies such as carbon capture and storage will be borne by consumers, who will then have less money to spend on food, researchers said.
Tomoko Hasegawa from National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan, and colleagues used multiple models to determine the effects of strict emissions cuts and found that many more people would be at risk of hunger than if those cuts were not in place.
The team concluded that governments will have to take measures, such as increasing food aid, as they address climate change.
The study was published in the American Chemical Society's journal Environmental Science & Technology.
