by James Murray, BusinessGreen Food, energy and water supplies all under threat from combination of climate change and growing population The UK’s chief scientist will today warn that political and business leaders have just 20 years to prepare for a "perfect storm" of climate change-related impacts on food, water and energy supplies or risk public unrest, conflict and mass migration. In a major speech to the Sustainable Development UK 09 conference, Professor John Beddington will warn that the combination of climate change, a growing global population and changing dietary habits will result in a surge in demand for food, water and energy by 2030 that will drive up prices and could lead to widespread shortages. According to Beddington, demand for food and energy will increase 50 per cent by 2030, while demand for fresh water will rise 30 per cent as the population grows to top 8.3 billion. At the same time, climate change is expected to result in falling levels of agricultural productivity and water shortages across many hot regions, leading to mass migration and increased risks of cross-border conflict. "There will not to be a complete collapse, but things will start getting really worrying if we don’t tackle these problems," Beddinton will warn. "My main concern is what will happen internationally. There will be food and water shortages." …
Chief scientist warns of "perfect storm" for resource shortages by 2030
