A September, 2012, study commissioned by Oxfam and carried out by the Institute of Development Studies investigates how weather extremes induced by climate change might affect food price volatility in the future. among their findings:
Between 2010 and 2030, average world market export prices:
• For maize could rise by 177%, with up to half the increase due to climate change;
• For wheat could rise by 120%, with around one-third of the increase due to climate change;
• For processed rice could rise by 107%, with around one-third of the increase due to climate change.
Tim Gore, climate change policy adviser at Oxfam, states, “Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns hold back crop production and cause steady price rises. But extreme weather events – like the current U.S. drought – can wipe out entire harvests and trigger dramatic food price spikes.” While the United Kingdom and the United States are predicted to be affected by these changes, the most vulnerable are the world’s poorest people, who already are spending up to 75 percent of their income on food.
Here is a link to the report:
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/