This opinion column was published in El Nuevo Día on July 12, 2024, you can access the column at this link. 

I grew up in the 1980s, wanting to eat chips, cheetos and other bags full of junk food while my mom tried to push a plate of rice and beans down my throat. Today, as a scientist, I study why we eat what we eat, and how it affects our health.

The struggles of those bygone days still persist but are intensified by climate change. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) projects a significant reduction in the yield and quality of crops essential to our diet, such as rice, in as little as ten years as a result of climate change.

So, I wonder, if there is no rice, will we eat 'cheetos'? What impact will that have on our health? And when the climate wipes out the rice and corn crops to make 'cheetos', what will we eat and who will we be in Puerto Rico?

This is a summary, to view the full article please visit our website in Spanish or click here.