Impacts of climate change on the livestock food supply chain; a review of the evidence

Cécile M. Godde, Daniel Mason-D’Croz, Dianne Mayberry, P.K. Thornton, Mario Herrero

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

The potential impacts of climate change on current livestock systems worldwide are a major concern, and yet the topic is covered to a limited extent in global reports such as the ones produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change. In this article, we review the risk of climate-related impacts along the land-based livestock food supply chain. Although a quantification of the net impacts of climate change on the livestock sector is beyond the
reach of our current understanding, there is strong evidence that there will be impacts throughout the supply chain, from farm production to processing operations, storage, transport, retailing and human consumption. The risks of climate-related impacts are highly context-specific but expected to be higher in environments that are already hot and have limited socio-economic and institutional resources for adaptation. Large uncertainties remain as to climate futures and the exposure and responses of the interlinked human and natural systems to climatic changes over time. Consequently, adaptation choices will need to account for a wide range of possible futures, including those with low probability but large consequences.
Original languageEnglish
Article number100488
Pages (from-to)1-17
Number of pages17
JournalGlobal Food Security
Volume28
Issue number100488
Early online date7 Jan 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Livestock
  • Climate change
  • Supply chain
  • Heat stress
  • Vulnerability
  • Risk

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