Welcome to the first edition of FAO's e-newsletter on climate change and food security. As a follow-up to the High Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy (June 2008), this newsletter provides an entry point to information, events and publications related to climate change and its impacts on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food security, and natural resources as well as adaptation and mitigation strategies.
This first edition of FoodClimate includes information on the outcomes of important climate change events and links to publications recently added to the FAO Climate Change web portal.
To read more, go directly to:
| Interview | Upcoming events | From the field |
| Latest news | Publications, tools and websites | Featured map |
Interview with Mr. Alexander Müller, FAO Assistant Director-General
"FAO will continue to highlight during international negotiations the role of agriculture and forestry as a source of climate change, but above all, a solution to climate change, through adequate adaptation and mitigation measures." - Alexander Müller, FAO Assistant Director-General
Countries have been taking action to manage current and future risks of global warming, partially as a result of the "High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy" hosted by FAO in June 2008.
As the topics related to climate change gain more and more importance on the finance and development agenda, FAO prepares itself to celebrate this year's World Food Day under the theme "World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy". Mr. Alexander Müller provides insight on this topic, especially related to follow-up activities to the High-level Conference as well as the momentum this event created.
Climate change is currently putting a strain to the world's food systems and quick measures are needed. What immediate response has the Summit given in this sense?
Clearly this Summit has highlighted the strong linkages between climate change and world food security and has decided to act. It has called for both immediate humanitarian assistance to those hardest hit by the current food price crisis and it has recommended actions that, in the medium term, should address the driving forces of food system fragility to shocks in order to reduce the number of hungry people in the world. The immediate response focussed on the FAO's Initiative on soaring food prices (ISFP) which will benefit to 90 countries for a total amount of US$100.8 million as of 9 October 2008. The immediate objective the initiative is to ensure the success of the next planting season and help small farmers to be able to rapidly increase their food production.
What can be done to minimize the impact of climate change on hunger, taking into account its linkages with emergency and global food crises?
Pursuing strategies and practices with a comprehensive response is required to lessen the worst effects of global warming in the next few decades. This response should take into account small-scale farmers, fishers and forest dependant people, who are the most vulnerable and the worst hit by climate change effects. These measures should include developing climate and climate impact models that give a better understanding of how climate change may affect farming and forestry at a local level. Encouraging better water management, soil conservation, weather and crop forecasting, diversification of livelihoods and sustainable agricultural, fishing and forestry practices are important adaptation strategies.
To face the emergency situations linked to climate change, it is essential to improve and expand weather forecasting as well as monitoring and early warning systems and to develop efficient disaster risk management systems.
What are the next steps?
In the spirit of the declaration of the High-level Conference, FAO will continue to highlight during international negotiations the role of agriculture and forestry as a source of climate change, but above all, a solution to climate change, through adequate adaptation and mitigation measures. FAO recently participated in the third session of the Ad hoc Working group on long-term cooperative action under the UNFCCC in Accra in late August and is preparing its participation in the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP) in Poznan in December 2008. In parallel, FAO continues to develop specific projects and to facilitate dialogue between various partners.
What is the main goal of this year's World Food Day focusing on the challenges of climate change and bioenergy?
World Food Day is a good opportunity to remind decision makers that still over 920 million people in the world are undernourished. The momentum gained during the High-level Conference on World Food Security held in June 2008 must be maintained. During that meeting, countries agreed on the need to expand agriculture and food production in developing countries and countries in transition and boost investment in agriculture, agribusiness and rural development. They also agreed to carry out concrete action for adaptation to climate change in the agriculture sector. World Food Day is the best time to remind countries of their commitment and the need to transfer the discussions held during the High-level Conference to the national level. World Food Day events around the world will facilitate dialogue among stakeholders on these issues. On this occasion, FAO is launching this Electronic Newsletter to keep the network of people involved in the High-level conference regularly informed on latest news related to these linkages between climate change and food security.
Latest News
Final report of the High Level Conference now available in 5 languages
The report of the High-level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy conference is now available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish. The report includes the final declaration, the main statements and the results of the roundtables held during the conference. The final report along with many other video and audio files of the statements made during the event can be downloaded at the website of the High-level Conference
Launch of the collaborative programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (UN-REDD programme)
The UN collaborative programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (UN-REDD) was launched by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg on 24 September at UN headquarters in New York. The FAO, UNDP and UNEP will joing forces in combating climate change through the creation of incentives to reverse the trend of deforestation.
For more information please read the UN press release or visit the UN-REDD section on the FAO Climate Change website portal.
View the web broadcast of the launching of the UN-REDD programme
The Youth and United Nations Global Alliance
The Youth and United Nations Global Alliance (YUNGA) is developing a gateway to link UN agencies and youth organizations working with children and youths.
The main objectives of YUNGA is to facilitate and support children and youth to participate and use their creative energy in UN related activities such as environmental, social and sustainable development issues, including climate change. YUNGA will also support networking and outreach, the development of joint initiatives and the exchange of knowledge and resources among stakeholders.
FAO, with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), is hosting the YUNGA Secretariat, an integral part of the newly created United Nations Youth Development Network (YDnet) being developed by the United Nations Programme on Youth (UNPY) and a formal activity of the UN Interagency Committee (IAC) on the Decade of Education for Sustainable evelopment (DESD).
The YUNGA gateway linking UN agencies and youth organizations working with children and youths will be launched shortly. For more information on the activities of FAO to create awareness about climate change among children and youth please visit the Children and Young People section of the FAO Climate Change webportal.
From the field
Project in Bangladesh promotes livelihood adaptation to Climate Change
Since 2005, FAO is providing technical guidance to the Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh within a project that promotes climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction for sustainable livelihoods and food security in the rural sectors including crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry. The project is in its second phase and works in the drought prone North-West and the coastal regions of the country.
To read the report on the results of the first phase of the project, click here FAO. 2008. Improved Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change for Sustainable livelihood in the agricultural sector. Summary report project phase.
For more details on the project please visit the project's website.
Upcoming events
World Food Day 2008: The challenges of climate change and bioenergy
Many countries in the world are preparing to celebrate next World Food Day on 16 October under the theme: The challenges of climate change and bioenergy. A series of exhibits, debates and ceremonies to create awareness around this year's topic will be organized at FAO headquarters in Rome such as a candle light vigil and the Run for Food race.
To read more about the time and date of the celebrations in Rome and all around the world and to download posters and leaflets, please visit the World Food Day website
View the World Food Day 2008 Public Service Announcement.
Participate in an e-discussion on climate change and its linkages to food security and nutrition
An e-discussion on Responding to the challenges of climate change and its linkages to food security and nutrition is being launched on the Global Forum on Food Security Nutrition Policies and strategies (FSN Forum) on World Food Day.
This discussion invites you to share your ideas and concrete experiences related to:
- The impact of climate change on food security, nutrition and dietary quality.
- Successful strategies for communication and awareness-raising on the effects of climate change on food security.
- Concrete examples of successful initiatives for adaptation to climate change or mitigation.
Contributions in this forum will provide ideas and information on concrete experiences regarding climate change and its linkages to food security.
To participate in the discussion you can subscribe to the forum by sending an email to fsn-moderator@fao.org asking for temporary or permanent subscription or by registering directly on the FSN website.
International Conference on Climate Change
The University of Aarhus in Denmark jointly with the FAO are organizing an International Conference entitled Beyond Kyoto: Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change to take place from 5-6 March 2009 in Aarhus. The Conference seeks to contribute to advanced use of knowledge as the basis for regulatory frameworks, innovation and the development of new technologies for sustainable development and eco-efficiency. The Conference secretariat is currently calling for submissions of papers under the following six themes to be discussed during the event:
- Climate policy - the role of law and economics,
- Biodiversity and ecosystems
- Agricultural production
- Nanotechnology solutions for a sustainable future,
- Citizens and Society
- Arctic case.
For more information on the conference and on how to sumbit your proposals please visit the conference website.
Publications, tools and websites
FAO Publications on Climate Change compiled in a CD-ROM
Publications published by FAO through the years in issues such as climate change adaptation and mitigation have been gathered in a CD-ROM along with the main documents of the "High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy" hosted by FAO in June 2008.
The FAO has been contributing to international efforts to deal with climate change by assessing the available scientific evidence, participating in observing and monitoring systems, collecting unique global datasets and providing a neutral forum for negotiations and technical discussions on climate change and agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
To request a copy please contact Food-Climate@fao.org
The FAO's Climate Change webportal contains an even wider array of publications related to climate change and food security, impacts, green-house gas emissions, mitigation, adaptation and policy framework that can be consulted under the Publications section of the webportal.
The most recently published documents include:
Title | Summary |
FAO, Sahel and West Africa Club, CILSS, 2008. Climate and Climate Change in West Africa | Prepared in collaboration with the Sahel and West Africa Club and the Agrhymet Centre of CILSS (Permanent interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel), this document presents the evolution of climate in Africa and in West Africa and analyzes the possible impacts of climate change on food production and food security in the region. |
FAO 2008. Disaster Risk Management Systems analysis. A guide book. | This publication provides tools to guide the analysis of national, district and local institutional systems for Disaster risk management and to conceptualize and provide demand-responsive capacity-building thereafter. The guide book draws upon tools that have been developed and tested in various FAO field projects in this area. |
This report provides details on why observations of terrestrial essential climate variables are needed to understand the causes of climate change, analyse the potential impacts, evaluate the adaptation options and enable characterization of extreme events such as floods, droughts and heat waves. | |
FAO/IFPRI 2008. Impact of Climate Change and Bioenergy on Nutrition. | This paper examines the direct nutrition effects of rising climate change and bioenergy demand, as well as its contribution to rising food prices. It also provides several options for improving food security and nutrition, as well as for addressing the links between climate change and bioenergy demand and nutrition. |
FAO 2008. Water and the Rural Poor. Interventions for improving livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa | This publication takes stock of past experiences showing opportunities to invest in water in support of rural livelihoods. It emphasizes an approach where investments in infrastructure are matched with interventions in institutions, knowledge and finance in ways that yield optimal returns in terms of poverty reduction. |
The paper aims to identify potential impacts of anticipated changes in climate on food safety and their control at all stages of the food chain. The purpose is to facilitate international cooperation and in developing and implementing strategies to address this situation. |
The FAO also has published valuable tools ranging from dataset, to e-learning and training manuals that can be easily accessed and downloaded under the Data and Tools section of the webportal.
Featured map
Main vulnerable urban centres and coastal regons in West Africa
In West Africa, the areas most vulnerable to a rise in sea levels due to climate change or extreme incidents arising from the ocean (extremely high tides) have the highest population concentrations and are sometimes the most urbanised (except for the Mauritanian coast). From Douala to Dakar, there are 12 townships of over a million inhabitants along the coastline.
The rise in sea levels has had a direct impact on these areas: submergence and coastal erosion, an increase in flood-prone areas and in salinity in estuaries and coastal water tables. Without policies on adapting to these changes, a 0.5 metre rise in sea levels by 2100 will lead to direct loss of land through submergence and erosion. Translated into economic terms, infrastructural damage is currently estimated at several hundreds of millions of dollars in Senegal, almost 4.7 billion in Côte d'Ivoire (one-fourth of its current GDP) or even 9 billion in Nigeria (10% of its current GDP).
Source: FAO, Sahel and West Africa Club, CILSS, 2008. Climate and Climate Change in West Africa
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