Experts warn world food system could collapse without urgent action
Experts warn that the global food system is at risk of collapse due to interconnected pressures including biodiversity loss, climate change, and geopolitical conflicts. A report led by Anglia Ruskin University and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries highlights how soil degradation, water scarcity, and ecosystem disruptions are already reducing crop yields and increasing food prices. Without urgent action, these challenges could threaten long-term food security, economic stability, and social order worldwide.
- ▪The report was led by Anglia Ruskin University and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, identifying biodiversity loss, climate shocks, and geopolitical instability as key threats to the global food system.
- ▪Soil degradation and water scarcity have already contributed to lower crop yields and higher food prices in recent years.
- ▪Deforestation in the Amazon is disrupting rainfall and carbon cycles essential for agriculture, while declining pollinator populations threaten three-quarters of global crop production.
- ▪Marine ecosystems are nearing critical thresholds due to overfishing, pollution, and climate change, risking a collapse in fish populations.
- ▪The report suggests that food system instability could lead to civil unrest in the UK within the next 10 to 50 years.
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NewsUKHome NewsExperts warn world food system could collapse without urgent actionOne expert argued that humanity is currently driving a ‘mass extinction event’Rebecca Speare-Cole Thursday 30 April 2026 00:01 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2967459","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/world-food-system-could-collapse-without-urgent-action-experts-warn-b2967459.html","title":"World food system could collapse without urgent action, experts warn"}}Inside Gaza’s deepening food crisisYour support helps us to tell the…
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