“Climate change has negatively affected wheat and maize yields for many regions and in the global aggregate,” the report said. “Effects on rice and soybean yields have been smaller in major production regions and globally.
“Observed impacts relate mainly to production aspects of food security rather than access or other components of food security. Since AR4 [the previous IPCC report], several periods of rapid food and cereal price increases following climate extremes in key producing regions indicate a sensitivity of current markets to climate extremes among other factors.”
The study, produced by an international body of scientists, also said climate change is “a particularly difficult challenge” for managing risk because the likelihood and consequences of possible events are not readily understood.