A new report from climate scientists at the University of Melbourne claims that climate change will have devastating effects on Australia's food supply.
The report, Appetite for Change, says that vegetables, meat, and grains will lose their flavor and become worse in quality, thanks to extreme weather, warming oceans, and climate-related disease. Dairy will be particularly affected by rising temperatures, for example, while heat stress may cause chickens to yield lower-quality meat.
David Karoly, co-author of the report, told Phys.org that climate change has increased the amount of bush fires and heat waves in Australia, causing threats to Australia's farms.
"It's definitely a wake up call when you hear that the toast and raspberry jam you have for breakfast, for example, might not be as readily available in 50 years time," Richard Eckard, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne, said in a statement. "It makes you appreciate that global warming is not a distant phenomenon, but a very real occurrence that is already affecting the things we enjoy in our everyday lives, including the most common of foods we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."