Climate change, food security, and population health in the anthropocene

Abstract

The Anthropocene is commonly seen as a period of great potential to further improve human health and other aspects of human well-being, including food security, reflected, for example, by the Sustainable Development Goals. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is similarly generally optimistic, including with regard to its global food security outlook, apart from far in the future if global temperatures reach 5°C above preindustrial levels. Similarly, the Food and Agricultural Organization has reported falling hunger despite rising global food prices. We challenge this optimism, analyzing datasets and the wider literature. We may be flying blind toward a mountain.