The Role of Climate Change, Food Scarcity and Social Inequality - Societal and Individual Risks Factors

The influence of climate change on food production and a scarcity of healthy food are grounds for societal risks. Furthermore, the increased uneven distribution of healthy food and cost increases are underpinning risks to individual well-being and societal security. In this paper is discussed the equitable distribution of environmental risks and food burdens, health hazards and subtle inequities, such as limited access to healthy foods. The human right to fair treatment refers to that no population group. because of policy or economic disempowerment, should be exposed to disproportionate encumbrance of risky environmental conditions. The risk of food shortages underpins the development of genetically modified food (GM) to manage food shortages. However, the fear of the unknown, and the difficulty faced by producers, scientists and experts to guarantee the nonexistence of short or long term negative health effects from GM food products, have raised questions about future implications of genetically altered food. Beck’s risk society discourse focuses on modern industrialisation and the risks posed by new procedures and products released for public consumption before being scientifically tested in clinical trials over a longer period. The issues around the origins of food and weaknesses in the whole production chain have reignited the question of organic food, as an alternative to the inclusion of artificial ingredients in industrial production of food, and if people would be safer and healthier if they were mainly eating organic food. However, this is a food source out of reach for many low-income people.