While shopping for Thanksgiving, give thanks for a rising food supply that reduces poverty.

Mostly because of energy supplies and advances in agriculture, the United Nations estimates the percentage of people living in “absolute poverty” fell from more than 80% in 1800 to less than 20% in 2015.

“The amount of food we grow has increased rapidly as a result of two drivers: the amount of land we use for agriculture has expanded, but the largest driver has been a rapid rise in crop yields,” explains the nonprofit Our World in Data.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture supports this claim.

“U.S. farm output grew by 170% between 1948 and 2015 — at an average annual rate of 1.48 percent … productivity growth accounted for most of total output growth during that period,” the agency reports.

The mostly soothsayers of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concede the potential of more food as a byproduct of climate change.

“Changes in temperature, rainfall, and frost-free days are leading to longer growing seasons in almost every state,” reports the EPA.

It also warns of climate change potentially harming the food supply.

“In some areas, warming may benefit the types of crops that are typically planted there, or allow farmers to shift to crops that are currently grown in warmer areas,” reports the EPA. “Conversely, if the higher temperature exceeds a crop’s optimum temperature, yields will decline.”

Regarding the “conversely” claim, no strong data support it. Climate change is not a new phenomenon. The planet has consistently warmed since the last ice age, which is mostly responsible for the vast increase in land suitable for growing vegetation. It’s hard to grow food on ice, easy to grow it in dirt.

“Recent estimates of the increase in global average temperature since the end of the last ice age are 4 to 5 °C (7 to 9 °F). That change occurred over a period of about 7,000 years, starting 18,000 years ago,” explains the website of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Agriculture and governments that regulate it should study this indisputable progress in the food supply and try to continue it.

Sadly, it appears government policies — certainly more than climate change — jeopardize this extraordinary trend toward zero poverty. Political agendas in Colorado and much of the rest of the developed world seek “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050, with seldom a mention of the poverty it poses.

While “net-zero” is impossible by 2050, as conceded by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and other major advocates of the goal, the world has the viable opportunity to eliminate poverty by date.

The United States and 18 other developed (aka fortunate) countries recently pledged to withhold financial aid to developing nations if they produce conventional fuels to produce more food.

Every state, federal and local regulation enacted to obstruct conventional energy creates scarcity. It manifests in sustaining poverty and hunger that humanity could otherwise eliminate through agricultural advancements.

The United States and other developed countries increasingly enact policies that amount to “we got ours, to heck with everyone else.”

“Compared to other countries, there’s no other place on the planet that has cheaper food than the U.S.,” says American economist Mark Perry.

While Americans spend only 5.5% of disposable income on food, our neighbors in Mexico spend 24.1%. Kenyans and others in Africa spend 46% or more on food. No other country comes close to the United States in terms of affordable food.

Our good fortune relates directly to affordable energy that’s under unprecedented attack by politicians claiming they can control the climate by imposing energy poverty domestically and globally.

We are thankful most Americans, including those on the streets, have access to feasts on Thanksgiving. If climate alarmists get their way, this bounty might become a fond memory of the past. Give thanks for today and pray for the future.