“I encourage everyone to realize how serious this problem of climate change is, how it effects everyone on Earth, and how we’ve got to work together to move forward.”
Bill Nye, the Science Guy
Have you have torn into an absurdly expensive bag of chips recently to find it half full, or paid more for a box of cereal that is a fraction of the size it was last year? If so, you are familiar with the concept of shrinkflation. This phenomenon has become ubiquitous in grocery stores and restaurants over the past few years. Well, move over shrinkflation, heatflation is the new sheriff in town.
Move over shrinkflation
You may be thinking, what is heatflation? It’s the rising cost of certain foods due to warmer and drier temperatures. And what is the connection to climate change? When we burn oil, coal, and gas for energy, it pumps carbon dioxide into the air. That CO2 hangs around up there and acts like a blanket, trapping extra heat inside and warming the Earth. One of the many consequences is crop disruption in the US and around the globe.
Last year, I wrote about how climate change is affecting some of the foods we love. This week, I learned about another one – olive oil. Like countless places, Spain chalked up record heatwaves this spring and summer, which led to massive olive crop losses and triggered a spike in olive oil prices. Italy has been in a similar boat. That spells trouble for lovers of olive oil around the world.
Olive oil is just one example, but the problem is much more widespread. Extreme drought conditions in regions around the world, fueled in part by climate change, are also having an impact on other fruits, vegetables, grains, and livestock. Paying more for food in stores and restaurants is painful for all of us, but is hitting lower-income people the hardest.
What can we do?
All countries are contributing to the greenhouse gas problem to varying degrees (the US has added the most). We all share one atmosphere, so we need international efforts, like the Paris Agreement, to hold everyone accountable for cutting emissions. A large-scale corporate and systemic shift to renewable energy is also critical.
But what about average citizens? In the spirit of controlling the controllables, there is a lot we can each do to help reduce emissions. Here are a few ideas:
- Shop at a local farmers market, join a CSA, or start a garden
- Find ways to reduce our own use of fossil fuels
- Influence larger-scale change by advocating for a shift to clean energy
Rising prices are bad enough, but scarcity would be a far bigger problem, and it already is in some parts of the world. We need to transition to clean energy as quickly as possible to stop the warming. The good news is the solutions are available, now we just need the collective will to create a better future.
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.