{
  "id": 6300583,
  "title": "Study predicts large disparities in access to food, water and energy in 2050",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/study-predicts-large-disparities-in-access-to-food-water-and-energy-6300583",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-08T17:20:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-large-disparities-access-food-energy.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new study coauthored by researchers from MIT indicates that global access to vital resources like food, water, and energy could exhibit vast disparities by the year 2050, with lower-income groups potentially facing drastically higher burdens. According to the study, in certain regions, the poorest individuals might spend around half of their income on food, compared to only 5% for higher-income groups in the same areas by mid-century. Dr. Jennifer Morris, a principal research scientist at MIT, emphasizes that for many of these scenarios, the lower-income groups are likely to confront significant insecurity. The researchers used an existing model called the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM) to project future access to these resources, accounting for a plethora of variables including economic conditions, agricultural production, trade, climate, land use, and more. The results highlight the complexity of predicting resource security, as a multitude of factors come into play. The study reveals that income alone is not the sole determinant of future resource insecurity; regional conditions, land use, energy systems, water availability, and consumer behavior also substantially influence vulnerability. For policymakers, the findings underscore the necessity of considering the unique combinations of factors that contribute to vulnerability within each region. The research team, including scientists from MIT, Tulane University, and other institutions, aimed to move beyond conventional scenario analysis by focusing on socioeconomically specific outcomes that directly impact human well-being. Their approach involved running 3,735 simulations with 12 key variables related to resource availability to understand the spectrum of potential outcomes by 2050. The study projects that in 2050, food insecurity could be most acute in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, while energy insecurity might be most acute for low-income residents in certain areas of Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. However, within any given region, there could still be substantial variation in resource security. For instance, in southern Africa, the poorest 10% of the population could be spending an estimated 49.6% of its income on food, compared to just 5.5% for the wealthiest 10%. These projections indicate a substantial increase in the food burden for the lowest-income groups over time, with estimates ranging from 20% to 75% of income in West and East Africa. Similarly, the study projects significant variations in energy burdens by income level in different regions.",
  "summary": "How will global access to food, water and energy evolve in coming decades? A new study coauthored by MIT researchers suggests the answers could be very different depending on region, resource and income.",
  "key_points": [
    "Lower-income groups may spend half of income on food in 2050",
    "Energy insecurity projected for low-income residents in Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East",
    "Study uses GCAM model with 3,735 simulations to predict resource insecurity"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MIT News Research",
        "title": "Study predicts large disparities in access to food, water, and energy in 2050",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/study-predicts-large-disparities-in-access-to-food-water-and-energy",
        "published": "2026-09-08T04:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}