A New Food System for the Chesapeake Bay Region and a Changing Climate

Cuker, Benjamin E.; St. Laurent, Kari; Coles, Victoria J.; Gerbing, Dawn

Climate change is reshaping the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and its linked food system. Sea level rise and increased precipitation drive regular flooding events and the erosion of islands and coastal features. This results in the loss of habitat for various species of birds and fishes. Increased temperatures extend the growing season and reduce the incidence of frosts. Rising water temperatures accommodate the immigration of warm-adapted species and endanger populations of cold ones. Increased temperature interacts with cultural eutrophication to extend the duration and extent of seasonal hypoxia. Higher regional temperatures threaten human health, particularly populations of poorer residents that lack refuge from heatwaves and flooding events. Acidification of the Bay, which is linked to climate change agents, endangers species that rely upon calcium carbonate for shell and skeleton. Emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs, primarily CO(2), NO(2), CH(4)) from human economic activity drives climate change. The food system accounts for 25–30% of human GHGs emissions. Half of these comes from livestock, which contribute 14.5% of the global anthropogenic GHG load. Eliminating animal-based foods, particularly ruminants (cattle) would facilitate building a sustainable food system with improved health outcomes for the residents of the Chesapeake Bay Region.