The need for sustainable food, nutrition, and fresh water is critical to ensuring the health of both people and the planet. With a growing global population, demand for food and water is increasing, placing immense pressure on natural resources, ecosystems, and agricultural systems. Unsustainable farming and water use contribute to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change, while also risking long-term food insecurity.
Access to nutritious food is unevenly distributed, with millions suffering from hunger or malnutrition while others face obesity and diet-related diseases. Sustainable food systems aim to produce healthy, diverse diets while reducing environmental impact, supporting local economies, and ensuring fair labour practices.
In 2023, 733 million people were undernourished, and in 2022, 2.83 billion couldn’t afford a healthy diet. Climate change is worsening food insecurity by lowering crop yields, reducing labour capacity, limiting water access, and damaging marine ecosystems through warming seas, deoxygenation, acidification, and coral bleaching. These effects particularly impact subsistence farmers and Indigenous populations, with Indigenous children facing especially high malnutrition rates.
A global indicator using data from 124 countries shows that more heatwave days and droughts during crop growing seasons in 2022 led to 151 million more people experiencing food insecurity due to climate change. A separate measure tracking coastal sea temperatures in 148 regions found that, between 2021–2023, temperatures rose by 0.54°C above the 1981–2010 average, and in 2023, surpassed 20°C for the first time. This rise signals a growing threat to marine food sources and overall food security.
Fresh water, essential for drinking, hygiene, agriculture, and industry, is increasingly scarce due to overuse, pollution, and climate-induced changes in rainfall and snowmelt patterns. Water stress affects billions and is expected to worsen without urgent action.
Integrating sustainability into food and water systems means adopting efficient irrigation, reducing waste, protecting watersheds, and promoting regenerative agriculture. Governments, businesses, and individuals all play a role in transitioning to systems that are resilient, equitable, and environmentally sound. Achieving this balance is not only vital for human survival and well-being but also for preserving the planet for future generations.
Source: The 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change
