Climate Crisis AM Edition 1/8/24

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Because of drought in parts of Thailand and Brazil, sugar prices are up by double digits this year. The problem has affected businesses, from candy companies to Starbucks, as they have had to raise prices. The sugar shortage means some customers may choose alternatives rather than pay such a huge premium. According to The Guardian, “Rising global temperatures – 2023 is expected to be widely confirmed as the hottest year ever recorded – are fueling droughts and other extreme weather that affect food yields, including that of sugar.”

More on candy: Chocolate prices are out of control.

The climate crisis is worsening disease in some parts of the world. The WHO reports that climate effects on health could cost $4 billion a year by 2030. According to Inside Climate News, “…between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from things such as undernutrition, malaria, cholera, diarrhea and heat stress alone.”

COP 29 will be led by a former oil executive, which makes climate experts skeptical of the aims of the gathering. Mukhtar Babayev worked at the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic. Few seem impressed that he is currently Azerbaijan’s ecology and natural resources minister.

More on climate gatherings: COP 28 gets attacked by the IEA.

Another cost of climate change is the effects it will have on children. Young people who experience hurricanes and wildfires can have lasting mental health damage. According to Yale Climate Connections, “Children are especially vulnerable because they may not have coping skills yet. And they depend on adults, who may be struggling themselves.”