The HUNGER GAMES
A new report has revealed that a surging population threatens food shortages across the globe
The world’s population is set to soar by almost a third by the year 2050, and experts say we will need to make huge changes to cope.
An annual report on economic and social trends from Ancc
Coop - a consumer cooperative association in Italy - estimates that the world’s population will soar to 9.8 billion people in the next 30 years.
That’s a massive increase compared to the current population of 7.2 billion, and the world is likely unprepared for such a huge population surge.
To feed the world’s population, there would need to be a whopping 70% increase in food production by 2050. However, global agricultural fields are expected to grow by just 5% by then, and in fact the amount produced in harvests is expected to fall by 10% due to soil decay and persistent climate changes. The report also estimates that 455 billion tonnes of meat would need to be produced globally in 2050 to cope with the large population - a 40% rise from current production.
Poultry would account for 181 billion tonnes, followed by pork (143) and beef (106).
Meanwhile, fitting the world’s growing population into a limited amount of space may prove difficult.
The report forecasts that more than two-thirds of the population (68%) will live in cities by 2050 - up from the current figure of 55%.
And more people means more transport. We can expect to see 2.4 billion cars on our roads in the next 30 years - double the 1.2 billion in 2018.
The report also estimates that there will be 45 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted globally every year, which is up by more than a quarter compared to current emissions.
Air pollution caused by microparticles is among the main causes of death across the world, and the Global Air Report 2018 found that pollution in urban areas causes more deaths than alcohol.
Air pollution is also the main cause of global warming, and the report suggests that global temperatures will rise by an average of two degrees celsius by 2050.
The figures suggest that half the world’s population will not have access to water for at least one month a year in 2050 - and more than 700 million people will be displaced as a result of depleting natural resources in vulnerable areas of the planet. Albino Russo, director of Ancc Coop, said: “The world’s economic development shows two big limits: environmental sustainability and the growing economic inequality between countries and, on top of that, among people living within the same country.
“If we really want to improve our lives, we should find a way to sort these two limits out”.