By Mark Saludes
Rising food prices and climate change are driving increasing levels of food insecurity across Southeast Asia, according to the Southeast Asia Climate Outlook Survey 2024.
About 70 percent of respondents in this year’s climate survey, conducted by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, reported challenges in securing sufficient food. This marks a significant increase from 60 percent in 2023.
A large portion of these respondents, 42.5 percent, attribute the worsening situation to rising food prices, while 28.8 percent identify climate change as a key factor affecting food availability.
The survey highlights how climate change is exacerbating food insecurity across the region, where extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, typhoons, and heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe.
The report underscores that the impacts of climate change are no longer a distant future concern but are already affecting people’s lives, particularly in terms of food access.
Respondents’ concerns over the broader impacts of climate change are also rising, with nearly 60 percent expecting their lives to be significantly affected within the next decade.
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