Climate change has already destroyed the habitats of endangered animals, raised sea levels and increased the risk of death. But according to a new study from Columbia University scientists, it will soon make the staple food of Malaysians too toxic to eat.
A six-year study led by Lewis Ziska in collaboration with researchers in the United States and China found that inorganic arsenic levels increase in rice grown in line with rising temperatures and carbon dioxide in the air.
The water used in rice cultivation contains inorganic arsenic. Rice absorbs more water due to rising temperatures and carbon dioxide. Therefore, the resulting rice will have high levels of arsenic. This increases the risk of several types of cancer, heart disease and neurological problems in babies.
The risk of disease is higher in the highest rice-consuming countries in Asia, namely Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Myanmar and India. Temperature changes have already put coffee and tea crops at risk. If serious steps are not taken to control climate change, the Malaysian breakfast culture of nasi lemak, teh tarik and kopi susu, which is recognized as a human culture by UNESCO, will become extinct in the future.
This research paper was published in the journal The Lancet.