The World Health Organization (WHO) declared "global warming" the most serious challenge facing mankind in the 21st century, which has serious impacts on animal and human health and sparked global panic.
Forecasted changes include more extreme weather events, as some countries, such as the Middle East, experience progressively warmer temperatures, drier conditions and less rainfall, as well as more frequent rainfall, tornadoes, and hurricanes in other parts of the world, such as Southeast Asia. Rising sea levels due to melting polar ice will lead to the disappearance of river deltas and coastal cities. All of these factors reduce global agriculture. Climate change will also trigger socioeconomic and demographic changes as humans and their domestic animals (and even wild animals) migrate across borders from arid regions to other suitable geographic areas.
Invasion of insects and mycotoxin-producing fungi
At the same time, rising global temperatures will allow insects, rodents and mycotoxin-producing fungi to invade and appear in new places where they did not previously exist. Their emergence can cause direct and indirect losses due to disturbance of ecosystems, destruction of crops or introduction of insect-borne diseases that infect humans, animals and plants.
Mycotoxins detected in new areas
In addition, insects and rodents make crops more susceptible to fungal infections, thereby increasing mycotoxin contamination. For example, aflatoxin-producing fungi typically inhabit tropical/subtropical regions. In Europe, testing for these toxins is usually limited to imported food. However, for the first time since 2003 (Italy) and 2015 (France), aflatoxins have been detected in local European crops.
Global Inflation - Food Prices
On the other hand, other factors including global inflation (due to Covid 19), increased transportation costs (increase in oil/energy prices) and global food supply shortages (war in Ukraine, as Russia and Ukraine are major food producers) have led to record high food prices .
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