Extreme Climate Events Trigger Global Food Price Surges, Study Finds

July 21, 2025 — A new international study has found that extreme climate events have caused significant global food price hikes since 2022, affecting key staples such as South Korean cabbage, Australian lettuce, Japanese rice, Brazilian coffee, and Ghanaian cocoa.

Released on Monday, the research highlights how climate shocks — from heatwaves to floods — have disrupted food production and triggered massive spikes in commodity prices across the globe.

Cocoa and Lettuce Prices See Dramatic Increases

One of the most striking examples cited is the 280 percent surge in global cocoa prices in April 2024, attributed to a devastating heatwave in Ghana and Ivory Coast, two of the world’s largest cocoa producers. The study notes that prolonged high temperatures severely damaged crop yields and disrupted supply chains.

Similarly, Australian lettuce prices skyrocketed by 300 percent in 2022 after catastrophic floods wiped out large portions of agricultural land in key growing regions.

Rice, Coffee, and Cabbage Also Affected

The report also identifies sharp price fluctuations in other food staples:

• Japanese rice experienced price instability due to irregular rainfall and prolonged drought periods.

• Brazilian coffee output was disrupted by record-setting frosts and erratic weather patterns, leading to global shortages and rising costs.

• South Korean cabbage, essential for kimchi production, was hit by back-to-back typhoons and changing seasonal patterns, leading to domestic shortages and higher import prices.

Scientists Call for Urgent Adaptation and Resilience Measures

The team of scientists warns that without urgent global action to adapt agricultural systems to climate extremes, food price volatility is likely to worsen. They urge governments and international agencies to invest in climate-resilient crops, improved infrastructure, and early-warning systems to mitigate future disruptions.

“Climate change is no longer a distant threat — it is a present crisis reshaping our food systems,” said one of the lead researchers.

With weather-related events intensifying globally, the report calls on world leaders to treat food security as a core pillar of climate resilience strategies.