While temperatures continue to rise around the globe, communities are dealing with the costly impacts. This includes farmers, who are struggling to adjust to wildly shifting weather patterns.  

What's happening?

As reported by the Independent, Britain experienced its second-worst harvest on record in 2025, impacting the nation's food security once again. Thanks to a combination of drought conditions and the warmest summer on record in the U.K., farmers are facing a growing number of challenges while attempting to ensure a healthy harvest.  

"This harvest is even worse than expected, and marks a second successive poor harvest, following on from one of the worst harvests on record last year after incredibly heavy rainfall, made worse by climate change," said Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.

"We have now seen three of the five worst harvests on record this decade after extreme weather, telling a story of escalating climate impacts that farmers are unable to cope with," added Lancaster.

Why are diminished harvests in Britain important?

For farmers in the region, the dramatic shifts in the global climate have brought very unpredictable growing conditions for a majority of the nation's crops. Colin Chappell, an arable farmer in northern Lincolnshire, detailed his struggles attempting to stay afloat as extreme weather wreaked havoc on his farm. 

"For me, it was an unmitigated, absolute catastrophic disaster. I was just relieved to get to this point as I hardly grew anything last year," Chappell said. 

The agriculture industry can often be directly affected by an increase in extreme weather events. While some regions can be affected by an increase in strong storms, others can experience extended droughts. These events can lead to a reduction in crop yields and harm livestock, which can threaten food production, increase costs, and lead to lower quality in some crops. 

As Chappell noted, these impacts can cause a chain reaction in the local economy. "We're not investing as a farm any more. I'm not buying any machinery, I need to shed labor, that means the local rural community is suffering, too … I just need to save that money," he said. 

What's being done about rising global temperatures?

"This is what farming with climate change looks like, as extreme weather wrecks harvests, hits farm incomes and reduces our food security. It should now be an urgent priority for government and business to support farmers to adapt to these extremes and build their resilience by investing in healthier soils and more climate and nature-friendly farming," noted Lancaster. 

Communities are attempting to mitigate the effects of rising global temperatures by ramping up efforts to promote the widespread transition to renewable energy. Governments and organizations are also implementing proactive measures to improve sustainability in various industries while also reducing our reliance on planet-heating dirty energy sources. 

"But the only real guarantee against these impacts getting even worse is to reach net zero and bring our climate back into balance," Lancaster added. "By doing this, we will also reduce the costs of key foods that the U.K. depends upon."

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