Decreased resources of fresh water are likely to affect the agriculture sector, according to a report by Emirates Wildlife Society-WWF. The <em>UAE Climate Change Risks and Resilience</em> study said the loss of arable land would create food scarcity issues from an increase in outbreaks of animal disease. Without proper climate change preparation and mitigation, the UAE is likely to experience a rise in food prices, adding to the region’s already strained dependence on imported items. The UAE imports more than 80 per cent of its food. Although considered “food secure”, the region faces more uncertainty as climate change-related weather events could create disturbances to international supplies. “Climate change will affect the reliability of international food markets and ultimately destabilise food security in the UAE and the whole GCC region,” said the report. Even the ancient practices of date farming and camel breeding are under threat. “In the absence of adaptation measures, higher temperatures will affect livestock. Temperature increases are also considered a key factor in the spreading of new or re-emerging animal disease outbreaks.” But the biggest disruption to food source could be the absence of fish stocks in the Arabian Gulf. Degradation of breeding grounds and higher acidification could reduce the resources. “For example, changing surface water temperatures might affect the availability of commercially important fish species, such as kingfish, shrimp, snapper, grunt fish and sea bream,” said the report. There was an 11 per cent decrease in the number of fish caught in 2012, and the development of aquaculture might not be enough to cover it. nalwasmi@thenational.ae