Poorest regions 'facing severe food shortages'

Published on Thursday 31 January 2008 21:19

MANY of the world's poorest regions could face severe crop shortages, famine and hunger in the next two decades because of global warming, researchers warned yesterday.

Scientists used 20 computer simulations to determine how changing temperature and rainfall were likely to affect crop yields. They concluded that, by 2030, the average temperature in most of the regions where a large proportion of the world's underfed populations live could rise by 1C.

At the same time, seasonal rainfall in some areas, including southern Asia, South Africa, Central America and Brazil, may increase. Combining the data with dietary information revealed two hunger hot spots where the future looks especially bleak: southern Africa and southern Asia.

Marshall Burke, one of the study authors from Stanford University in California, said: "We were surprised by how much and how soon these regions could suffer if we don't adapt.

"For example, our study suggests that southern Africa could lose more than 30 per cent of its main crop, maize, in the next two decades, with possibly devastating implications for hunger in the region."