Food (Agriculture and fisheries and aquaculture produce) is the lifeblood of every country as it contributes to national food security, national social stability and environmental protection. Climate change is projected to cause a rise in global air temperature, sea surface temperature, atmospheric CO2, sea-level and an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events (storms, cyclones, floods, droughts, heat waves and bush fires). Whether warming will enhance bioaccumulation of contaminants (such as uptake of toxicants) in food? The food chain (water-soil-plant-human) pathway is recognised as one of the major pathways for human exposure to contaminants. The warmer climates are known to be favourable for the proliferation of insect pests and microbial pathogens. There are reports that there will be proliferation of algal blooms in aquatic environment (freshwater and marine) which produce toxins. Climate change (intense rainfall, flooding) will increase runoff of contaminants into waterways. Some of these contaminants (e.g. pesticide, trace metals, dioxins) are very harmful (i.e. carcinogenic) and many of them have properties of bioaccumulation (accumulate in a living organism). Where there will be water scarcity due to droughts, people will be forced to use contaminated water for irrigating food crops or growing fish.
Question: Whether contamination in agriculture, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture products will be enhanced due to climate change?
Thank you Professor for the paper
I would like to know whether projected rise of temperature (for example) will enhance bioaccumulation of contaminants (such as high risk chemicals including pesticides, metals and bio-toxins) in food?
But for the sake of food production to feed more people we have to continue to use chemicals to control pests and pathogens. Some chemicals are hydrophobic in nature allowing them to accumulate in bioorganisms. Moreover, the toxicity and bioaccumulation rates of chemicals can be higher at higher temperatures (for example in fish).
If we add 2 or 3 billion people to the planet during this century, we will push the most part of the biological systems to crisis of proportions. It is likely that humans can not handle certain imbalances in the future, especially those that can be brought to the borders of chaos. This is valid for both physical and biological systems. Professor Towe's right, the enemy is our own pride in thinking we will be able to handle everything, like we did in the past.
Thank you Prof. Fernando. Yes predictions for another 1-3 billion population rise by 2050. Similarly, there would be proliferation of insect pests, parasites and pathogens in a changing climate that would require more chemicals to be applied
Golam - were you asking a question or offering an opinion?
Predictions of crisis due to population growth have been made for decades (recall Ehrich's book "The Population Bomb".). These have not proved accurate and global health and welfare have actually improved (see the Human Development Index).
To your question - microbial risks in food are primarily man-made and due to compromises in harvesting and postharvesting hygiene protocols. not so much for temperature exposure during growth. Could imagine sludge supplementation based risks but not aware of data that shows risk with temperature change.
EPA projects (http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/health.html#ref1) increased risk due of salmonella growth at higher global-warming temperatures but that does seem a but simplistic. (at least to me). Salmonella contamnation is most often a function of poor personal hygienes in fields through processing and cooking and risk is associated with presence rather than numbers. Suppose the case coud be made for night soil supplement/polluted water irrigation but haven't seen data risk assessment of projections. Does anyone have these?
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Geoscience
- Atmospheric Sciences
- Climate Science
- Climate Change