Global Food Supplies (Crops, Livestock, Fisheries) Are Pushed to Brink by Extreme Heat: New UN Study
Posted by paulhenrybeckwith@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 9 comments
paulhenrybeckwith@reddit (OP)
Global Food Supplies (Crops, Livestock, Fisheries) Are Pushed to Brink by Extreme Heat: New UN Study
The United Nations (UN) Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has combined with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to produce a new report describing in detail how extreme heat waves are putting global food production on the brink of failure.
Food production categories looked at include crops, livestock, food producing trees (fruits, nuts), fisheries and aquaculture, as well as the farming and fishing and associated industries themselves.
This well written report is extremely important to be aware of, since, as far as I know, we all have to eat to survive.
References and Links:
Guardian article on the Global Food Crisis: World food systems ‘pushed to the brink’ by extreme heat, UN warns https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/world-food-systems-extreme-heat-farming-un-report
UN produced video on the highlights of the new report just released: EXTREME HEAT IMPACTS ON AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS Extreme heat events currently threaten the livelihoods and health of over a billion people, with the prospect for damage to livestock herds and crop yields set to soar even higher, according to a new report co-authored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). https://digital-media.fao.org/Detail/2A6XC5L6RULY
New 108 page UN report released Wednesday April 22nd titled: EXTREME HEAT AND AGRICULTURE FAO–WMO joint report The “Extreme heat and agriculture” report shows that the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme heat events have risen sharply over the past half century. Agricultural workers and agrifood systems are on the frontlines, absorbing the greatest impacts. Direct link to report: https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/246cffd9-90e9-4d98-ab4c-2fec7a9a13fd/content
Peer-reviewed paper in Nature Communications: Title: Deadly heat stress conditions are already occurring Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70485-1 Abstract Heat stress limits for human survivability have been previously defined by a 6-hour exposure to a wet-bulb temperature of 35 oC. However, the recently developed physiology-based HEAT-Lim model demonstrates that environmental heat stress thresholds may be cooler and drier than previously thought. We employ HEAT-Lim to determine whether non-survivable thresholds were surpassed during six historical events where conditions were climatologically extreme and/or high heat-related mortality was reported. Our results show that non-survivable conditions are occurring during present-day heat events, all of which are below 35oC wet-bulb temperature. Of concern is regular exceedances of deadly thresholds for older people directly exposed across all events. Moreover, extremely hot yet dry conditions are found to be just as deadly as hot and humid conditions. For future climatological assessments, we emphasize the importance of employing increasingly accurate physiology-derived methods to assess the risk of potentially deadly heat stress.
Peer-reviewed paper in Environmental Research Health Report: Intensifying global heat threatens livability for younger and older adults Link: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2752-5309/ae3c3a/pdf
Building and Environment Journal: Do women feel colder by nature? A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of sex differences in physiological and subjective thermal responses Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132325004184?ref=cra_js_challenge&fr=RR-1
Scientific paper in Weather and Climate Dynamics journal: Concurrent heat waves and their linkage to large-scale meridional heat transports through planetary-scale waves Link: https://wcd.copernicus.org/articles/7/453/2026/wcd-7-453-2026.pdf
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. As well as my website, and YouTube, you can find me on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit (multiple climate channels within), Quora, TikTok, Discord, Mastodon, Twitch, Vimeo, Bluesky, TruthSocial, Threads, Substack, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc...
bipolarearthovershot@reddit
But the NFL draft is on tonight, sports sports sports
BellaRyder2505@reddit
The future and the present is so unbelievably terrifying and horrific. I hate not knowing what's going to happen and how I will or won't be affected. It's exhausting and tiring. The only comfort and peace I have is death and knowing that I will die one day and how short and temporary this life is.
TrueRekkin@reddit
We live in interesting times which is definitely a curse these days. All you can do is enjoy what you love, spend time with those you care about, and keep on fighting where and when you can!
BellaRyder2505@reddit
Yes!
____cire4____@reddit
I'm gonna be honest here...I usually click for Newton.
TrueRekkin@reddit
Newton is the icing on the cake for the most in depth and well explained videos on all aspects of climate change. Thanks again to Mr. Beckwith although he never gives us good news :-p
metalreflectslime@reddit
Thanks.
StatementBot@reddit
The following submission statement was provided by /u/paulhenrybeckwith:
Global Food Supplies (Crops, Livestock, Fisheries) Are Pushed to Brink by Extreme Heat: New UN Study
The United Nations (UN) Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has combined with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to produce a new report describing in detail how extreme heat waves are putting global food production on the brink of failure.
Food production categories looked at include crops, livestock, food producing trees (fruits, nuts), fisheries and aquaculture, as well as the farming and fishing and associated industries themselves.
This well written report is extremely important to be aware of, since, as far as I know, we all have to eat to survive.
References and Links:
Guardian article on the Global Food Crisis: World food systems ‘pushed to the brink’ by extreme heat, UN warns https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/world-food-systems-extreme-heat-farming-un-report
UN produced video on the highlights of the new report just released: EXTREME HEAT IMPACTS ON AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS Extreme heat events currently threaten the livelihoods and health of over a billion people, with the prospect for damage to livestock herds and crop yields set to soar even higher, according to a new report co-authored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). https://digital-media.fao.org/Detail/2A6XC5L6RULY
New 108 page UN report released Wednesday April 22nd titled: EXTREME HEAT AND AGRICULTURE FAO–WMO joint report The “Extreme heat and agriculture” report shows that the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme heat events have risen sharply over the past half century. Agricultural workers and agrifood systems are on the frontlines, absorbing the greatest impacts. Direct link to report: https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/246cffd9-90e9-4d98-ab4c-2fec7a9a13fd/content
Peer-reviewed paper in Nature Communications: Title: Deadly heat stress conditions are already occurring Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70485-1 Abstract Heat stress limits for human survivability have been previously defined by a 6-hour exposure to a wet-bulb temperature of 35 oC. However, the recently developed physiology-based HEAT-Lim model demonstrates that environmental heat stress thresholds may be cooler and drier than previously thought. We employ HEAT-Lim to determine whether non-survivable thresholds were surpassed during six historical events where conditions were climatologically extreme and/or high heat-related mortality was reported. Our results show that non-survivable conditions are occurring during present-day heat events, all of which are below 35oC wet-bulb temperature. Of concern is regular exceedances of deadly thresholds for older people directly exposed across all events. Moreover, extremely hot yet dry conditions are found to be just as deadly as hot and humid conditions. For future climatological assessments, we emphasize the importance of employing increasingly accurate physiology-derived methods to assess the risk of potentially deadly heat stress.
Peer-reviewed paper in Environmental Research Health Report: Intensifying global heat threatens livability for younger and older adults Link: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2752-5309/ae3c3a/pdf
Building and Environment Journal: Do women feel colder by nature? A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of sex differences in physiological and subjective thermal responses Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132325004184?ref=cra_js_challenge&fr=RR-1
Scientific paper in Weather and Climate Dynamics journal: Concurrent heat waves and their linkage to large-scale meridional heat transports through planetary-scale waves Link: https://wcd.copernicus.org/articles/7/453/2026/wcd-7-453-2026.pdf
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. As well as my website, and YouTube, you can find me on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit (multiple climate channels within), Quora, TikTok, Discord, Mastodon, Twitch, Vimeo, Bluesky, TruthSocial, Threads, Substack, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc...
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1st7hwr/global_food_supplies_crops_livestock_fisheries/ohr9j49/