2024 was the hottest year on record. Steep rises in the prices of a number of food commodities in the year up to January 2025, correlated with the extreme weather. The biggest rises were for cocoa (163%) and coffee (107%). This was due to higher than average rainfall and temperatures in their production areas. Cocoa and coffee 'beans' are both grown on bushes, that take time to become established. It's not easy to quickly move them to other locations. Even, theoretically more mobile, crops showed lesser price increases. Climate breakdown leads to food shortages. These shortages drive up prices (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/15/extreme-weather-likely-to-cause-further-food-price-volatility-analysts-say) .The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research's data, confirms that heat extremes directly affect food prices. Even in the UK (a relatively rich country), climate breakdown has been linked to a rise in the number of hungry and malnourished households. Agriculture is another human activity relying on predictability. Climate change is feeding into global food security concerns.
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