Climate Matters: Climate change drives up food prices, impacting holiday meals

You may not be thankful for some food prices this holiday season, as climate change is disrupting the supply and quality of food.

The big bird on everyone's mind is the turkey, which is up 40% according to the USDA, thanks to all those bird flu headlines you saw earlier in the year. Climate change is also expected to drive up food inflation in the coming decades as drought, heat waves, and heavy rain all make it harder to grow food.

Agriculture and climate change are closely connected. Growing food accounts for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US and a quarter of heat-trapping emissions worldwide.

As the climate responds, extreme weather events like droughts and heavy rains are affecting the food supply chain and driving up prices. And we can see that trend.

Research indicates that nearly 20% of insured crop losses between 1991 and 2017 were due to a warming climate. These losses travel from farms to grocery stores and ultimately to your wallet.

Scientists also find that rising temperatures are expected to raise food inflation in the United States by 1.4% to 1.8% annually by 2035. Rising temperatures, longer droughts, heavy rain, and stronger hurricanes can all impact the supply, quality, and distribution of food.

Food inflation caused by climate change could speed up by the middle of the century, rising by 1.9% to 3.9% each year by 2060.