The climate crisis and One Health
In the final week of the UN climate summit known as COP 26, experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) gathered in an online event to discuss on One Health as an opportunity to better support adaptation and mitigation efforts to cope with climate change.
In the panel discussion Vittorio Fattori, Food Safety Officer of FAO, stressed the importance of providing science and evidence on the impacts of climate change on food safety, that for too long have been overlooked, in order to inform an effective and proactive policy-making process. “A single climatic factor like increased temperature can alter the occurrence, distribution or virulence of contaminants like mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins, and pathogens, such as Salmonella, in different parts of world, making this an important issue for local communities and globalized food chains alike,” he said.
Fattori further noted how “Food safety is a fundamental component of One Health: increasing collaboration, harnessing expertise and mobilizing resources across a broad spectrum of sectors are needed to ensure food safety and protect public health, together with fostering sustainable food production.”
Related links:
The Event was livestreamed by the COP26 Health Pavilion, and can be accessed here, starting at 07:10:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FloHvvo8HFs&list=PLsFZSAnbexszdFt4uHO_y7bed-G6_MHbR&index=11
Publication: FAO. 2020. Climate change: Unpacking the burden on food safety. Food safety and quality series No. 8. Rome. https://www.fao.org/3/ca8185en/CA8185EN.pdf
Video: “Climate change is threatening the safety of our food”. Watch in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
Infographic: www.fao.org/3/cb1784en/cb1784en.pdf
For more information on FAO’s work on Climate Change, please see: www.fao.org/climate-change/en/