If ever there were a time to connect the dots between soil health, food and climate that time would be now. Or better yet, yesterday.

A new study by Oxford University scientists suggests that 248,000 people will die each year in China by 2050 because of climate- linked decreases in food production. India faces a yearly loss of 160,000 people, with Vietnam, Bangladesh and the U.S. next in line, according to the study, published in “The Lancet,” a UK medical journal.

The study’s authors conclude that reduced consumption of fruit and vegetables pose a deadly health risk. Why will so many people be at risk? Because thanks to global warming, there won’t be enough fruits and vegetables to go around.

From a Climate News Network report about the study:

The authors calculated the change in the number of deaths attributable to climate-related changes in weight and diets for the combination of four emissions pathways (one high, one low and two medium) and three socio-economic pathways (sustainable development, middle of the road, and more fragmented development).

The model projects that, by 2050, climate change will lead to per-person reductions of 3.2% in global food availability. Consumption of red meat is projected to fall by 0.7%, but that of fruit and vegetables by 4%. These changes will be associated with 529,000 annual climate-related deaths worldwide.

That sounds like a high-falutin scientific calculation better left to those who work at the level of university scientists.

But here’s a simple truth we can all grasp. During the past 40 years, nearly one-third of the world's cropland (1.5 billion hectares) has been abandoned because of soil erosion and degradation. Much of that erosion and degradation are directly tied to modern agricultural practices, which by every measure have failed to live up to their promise to "feed the world." Toxic chemicals which destroy the soil’s critical microbial structure, and excessive tilling have not only destroyed an alarming amount of the world's soil, these practices also destroy the soil’s natural ability to draw down and sequester carbon.

Therein lies the rub. Modern industrial food production is a huge contributor to global warming. Global warming will eventually make it impossible for us to produce enough food if we continue to use modern industrial food production methods.

There’s a better way. Organic regenerative agriculture and holistic management practices can both feed the world, and cool the planet. It’s time.

Download the full study 

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