| Climate change isn't just making it harder to grow food, it's also preventing workers from collecting it. A record 512 billion potential hours of labor were lost globally due to high temperatures in 2023. Agriculture was the hardest hit, accounting for 63% of those lost hours, according to the latest edition of the Lancet's study of climate and health. Since farm workers are typically based outdoors, they're more vulnerable to heat exposure — with those in less developed countries even more so. They're also often among the world's poorest and least resilient to major economic shocks. That's exacerbating food insecurity and undernutrition at a time when climate change is reducing crop yields, straining access to water and disrupting supply chains, the eighth annual Lancet Countdown on health and climate change report warned. It's not just a problem on land — global warming also compromises marine resources by affecting things like oxygenation and ocean acidification. "No individual or economy on the planet is immune from the health threats of climate change," said Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown at University College London. Representing the work of 122 global experts, the report also showed that the impact of heat waves and drought on food security has continued to rise. Some 48% of the world's land area was affected by at least one month of extreme drought last year, the second-highest level ever recorded. More frequent heat waves and droughts caused 151 million more people to experience moderate to severe food insecurity in 124 countries in 2022, than annually between 1981 and 2010. Tackling Shortages Labor shortages for fruit pickers to meat packers and restaurant staff — something that was a huge problem during the Covid pandemic — have plagued food supply chains and contributed to inflation. Technological advances have seen more robots helping out on farms, but their uptake is still fairly limited so growers are looking for different solutions. Take blueberries, for example. Labor accounts for up to half of a grower's blueberry cost price. As labor becomes even more challenging, producers will have to resort to things like growing varieties that are bigger or detach more easily, or extending seasons, according to Rabobank. "Machine harvesting is undergoing a steep learning curve and must align with the orchard structure and variety grown," Rabobank analysts including Cindy van Rijswick said in a report this week. "If all these factors are addressed, it will become successful. The question is when." —Agnieszka de Sousa in London | 
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