Climate Change Threatens Coastal Communities' Food Security, Research Reveals

Research conducted by scientists from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has found that climate change poses a significant risk to coastal communities' food security, particularly for Indigenous peoples who rely heavily on coastal systems as a source of food. The study, which examined 155 scholarly articles, identified key constraints to adapting to climate change in coastal food security settings, including governance, institutions, and policies. The researchers also found that many of these constraints are "soft" and can be solved, but some are "hard" and cannot be overcome.

Key Takeaways:

• Climate change poses a high risk to coastal communities' food security, particularly for Indigenous peoples who rely on coastal systems as a source of food.
• The main constraints to adapting to climate change in coastal food security settings are related to governance, institutions, and policies.
• Most constraints are "soft" and can be solved, but some are "hard" and cannot be overcome.
• Restoring coastal food system resilience, improving food accessibility, and building the adaptive capacity of Indigenous peoples are potential ways to overcome the constraints.
• The study provides valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders involved in decision-making regarding coastal food security in the climate change adaptation context.
• The research highlights the importance of climate change adaptation practices to ensure food security among Indigenous peoples.

Statistics:

• 155 scholarly articles were examined in the study to identify constraints and limits to climate adaptation in coastal food security and Indigenous peoples' context.
• 3 research questions were addressed in the study: (i) What are the key constraints? (ii) What are the limits? (iii) What are the ways of overcoming the constraints?
• 3 types of constraints were identified: governance, institutions, and policies; soft constraints; and hard limits on coastal systems.

Sources:

• NewsRx. New Climate Change Findings Reported from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Solvable constraints and unsolvable limits to global climate adaptation in coastal Indigenous food security). Global Warming Focus. September 15, 2025; p 81.
• Solvable constraints and unsolvable limits to global climate adaptation in coastal Indigenous food security. Cambridge Prisms, 2025;3.
• Sithuni M. Jayasekara, et al. (2025). Solvable constraints and unsolvable limits to global climate adaptation in coastal Indigenous food security. Cambridge Prisms, 3(1).