Climate Change Interacts with Plastic Stressors and Amplifies Food Insecurity
Issued Date
2026-01-01
Resource Type
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105042348248
Journal Title
Plastic Tides Tackling Plastic Pollution for Global Food Security
Start Page
303
End Page
345
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Plastic Tides Tackling Plastic Pollution for Global Food Security (2026) , 303-345
Suggested Citation
Kamble M.T., Medhe S.V., Chavan B.R., Kettawan A., Jeamsripong S., Pirarat N. Climate Change Interacts with Plastic Stressors and Amplifies Food Insecurity. Plastic Tides Tackling Plastic Pollution for Global Food Security (2026) , 303-345. 345. doi:10.1007/978-3-032-17411-6_12 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/117530
Title
Climate Change Interacts with Plastic Stressors and Amplifies Food Insecurity
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Climate change and plastic pollution are escalating global stressors that interact in complex ways to undermine food security. Climate-driven shifts in temperature, precipitation, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events reduce agricultural yields, destabilize fisheries and aquaculture, and weaken the resilience of food systems. Simultaneously, the proliferation of plastics, from macroplastics to micro- and nanoplastics, contaminates soils, freshwater, and marine environments, impairing nutrient utilization, reducing food safety, and transporting hazardous chemicals through food chains. When combined, these stressors exert synergistic effects that amplify physiological stress in crops, livestock, and aquatic organisms, while accelerating plastic fragmentation and dispersal. The resulting impacts compromise all four pillars of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability. Vulnerable communities face the greatest risks due to limited adaptive capacity and high dependence on natural resources. This chapter synthesizes pathways through which climate change and plastic stressors interact, highlights case studies from key food systems, and discusses implications for human health and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It proposes integrated mitigation and adaptation strategies spanning agriculture, aquaculture, waste management, and policy frameworks to strengthen resilience and safeguard global food systems.