Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
| ||||||||||||
Picture Credit: UMCOR Environmental Degradation and Hunger
Global climate change leads to an increased number of weather-related disasters such as floods and droughts, which cause food shortages and famine.
Also See GPF's Pages on:
World Hunger | The Environment
Articles and Documents
2008 |2007 |2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2001 - 2002
Agriculture and Development (April 2008)
An international research project consisting of 900 representatives from multilateral organizations, civil society, national governments, the private sector and scientific institutions has produced a report that evaluates the “relevance, quality and effectiveness of agricultural knowledge, science and technology” (AKST) on development. This summary of the International Assessment on Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report concludes that small-scale farmers and their traditional agricultural knowledge should play a greater role in production. Also, the report criticizes genetic modification (GM) in agriculture, pointing out that research on long-term effects of GM is lagging behind. The study warns that patenting genetic modifications undermines local farming practices and concentrates the ownership of resources. (GreenFacts)
Global Policy Forum’s Katarina Wahlberg warns that for the “first time in decades, worldwide scarcity of food is becoming a problem.” Increasing demand of cereals for food consumption, cattle feeding and in particular biofuel production, is driving food prices to record levels. Especially the poor, who spend a majority of their income on food, will suffer. To make matters worse, the food price hike is also affecting the amount of food aid available, as governments have not increased funding for the UN’s World Food Programme. (World Economy & Development in Brief)
This Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) brief analyses how bio- or agrofuel production infringes on The Right to Food. This human right obligates all signatories to implement a “twin-track approach to food security.” Firstly, states must enable every person to feed him-or herself with dignity. Secondly, states must provide safety nets in cases where no other remedy against hunger exists. According to the FAO, countries set well-intended targets for agrofuel production but neglect the negative impact of these targets on food security.2008
Priced Out of the Market (March 3, 2008)
This New York Times editorial discusses the human cost of the “rich world’s subsidized appetite for biofuels.” When it seemed that global food supply might run out in the past, food production grew to meet demand. This time it might not be so easy, with the demand for biofuels diverting food into energy for cars, rather than human beings.Norway's 'Doomsday Vault' Holding Seeds of Survival in Case of Disaster Is Buried in Arctic (February 25, 2008)
This article reports on the opening of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The Arctic vault will serve as a back up for existing seed banks and contains over 10 million specimens from “virtually every country” in the world. The Global Crop Diversity Trust, which oversaw the creation of the vault, states that it will preserve biodiversity in the face of climate change, war and natural disasters. (Daily Mail)Europe Takes Africa's Fish and Boatloads of Migrants Follow (January 14, 2008)
This New York Times article discusses the issue of overfishing along northwest Africa’s coast. Major fish populations are collapsing, though it is unclear who should take the blame; the heavily subsidized fishery fleets from the European Union or the region’s own governments. This article points out that all too often the long-term benefits of protecting biodiversity take a backseat when governments stand to earn much-needed millions by allowing foreign exploitation of their natural resources.2007
War Has Historic Links to Global Climate Change (November 19, 2007)
Scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology have found that there is a clear link between changes in world temperatures and warfare. Both increases and decreases in temperature may cause a fall in food crop production and a subsequent rise in food price, and consequently conflict for access to resources. Future global warming is particularly worrying to the scientists. (New Scientist)Biofuels – Great Green Hope or Swindle (October 20, 2007)
This Inter Press Service article highlights many of the problems associated with biofuels. Some researchers argue that biofuel production is a step in the wrong direction as it hardly reduces carbon emissions. Producing biofuels also drives up food prices and increases conflict over food resources. Governments both in the US and Europe are increasing subsidies for biofuel production, however, and critics are concerned about this trend as governments seldom phase out subsidies.Unpredictable Weather Patterns, Diversion of Grain for Biofuels, Contribute to Growing Food Shortages (September 28, 2007)
The author of this YaleGlobal article expresses concern over a looming global food crisis. Food crop harvests are falling while consumption is increasing, and the author fears this will lead to social and political unrest. Also worrying is the increasing share of agriculture devoted to biofuels. Combined with growing consumption, environmental degradation, watershortages and urbanization and massive agricultural subsidies in rich countries this could spell disaster. Further, climate change leaves poor equatorial countries extremely vulnerable to weather changes and seasonal variation.UN Special Rapporteur: Impact of Biofuels on the Right to Food (August 22, 2007)
In this report to the General Assembly, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Jean Ziegler evaluates the impact of biofuels on the Right to Food. Ziegler labels the “sudden, ill-conceived, rush to convert food into fuel” a “recipe for disaster.” The Rapporteur calls for a five-year moratorium on biofuel production to review production technology and to create “regulatory structures to protect against negative environmental, social and human rights impacts” of biofuel production. To eradicate competition between food and fuel, Ziegler urges member states to look into the possibility of deriving biofuels solely from agricultural waste and non-food crops. Food prices would then remain stable, and both producers and consumers could benefit from biofuels.Global Food Crisis Looms as Climate Change and Population Growth Strip Fertile Land (August 31, 2007)
Scientists predict that rapid climate change together with a growing world population will cause a global food crisis. Such a crisis, worsened by poor farming and deforestation, may cause conflicts over scarce resources. According to the UN, land degradation is one of the biggest environmental challenges, destabilizing societies, lowering food security and increasing poverty. Countries producing biofuels in response to energy security fears, adds to the food crisis as crops for biofuel replace food crops. (Guardian)Climate Change Forcing Indian Farmers to Commit Suicide (July 30, 2007)
An investigation carried out by ActionAid found that climate change and the deterioration of social and economic conditions in some densely populated Indian regions have made hunger worse amongst the poor and pushed people to commit suicide. The study focuses on significant changes in the weather conditions during the last four to five years which have adversely affected farming. This OneWorld article argues that, compared to 30 years ago, rainfall has now decreased immensely, and that the government has failed to respond adequately as “it has not created safeguards to protect farmers” and guarantee food security.Climate Change: Africa's Deadly Weather Roller Coaster (July 6, 2007)
Menghestab Haile of the WFP’s Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping unit explains why climate change will impact the world’s poor and hungry the hardest in years to come. He states that Africa has been on a “weather roller coaster” for a few years, with severe droughts on one part of the continent and brutal floods in other parts. With such variations in climate, malaria could become more widespread. Menghestab also adds that the WFP implements emergency measures when disasters strike but it does not tackle climate change in the long-term. (World Food Program)Agrofuels: Towards a Reality Check in Nine Key Areas (July 2, 2007)
This report on the impact of agrofuels argues that the rush for ‘biofuels’ is already causing serious damage. Far from being sustainable, agrofuels have not shown to alleviate global warming; they actually threaten to accelerate it by destroying rainforests and other ecosystems to make way for agrofuel plantations. Additionally they compromise biodiversity, fuel human rights violations and promote an intensified industrial agriculture, encouraging the production of GM crops, and posing a serious threat to food sovereignty. (Transnational Institute)The Great Biofuel Hoax (June 25, 2007)
This Indypendent article examines the myths surrounding today’s biofuel boom. Biofuel supporters claim that because fuel crops are renewable, they are environmentally friendly and can reduce global warming, while promoting rural development. But biofuel corporations have tremendous market power and this, together with the political weakness of governments in regulating their activities, is a formula for environmental disaster and growing hunger in the global South.Biofuels Could Lead to Mass Hunger Deaths (June 14, 2007)
Biofuels have become increasingly popular in recent years. But use of biofuels can create food shortages by reducing land needed to grow crops. UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Jean Ziegler, accused rich countries of “total hypocrisy” for using biofuels to decrease their oil dependency, warning that hundreds of thousands of people could die as a result of their biofuels use. (Reuters)Farming Will Make or Break Food Chain (May 2, 2007)
Global warming, food and timber exports, and the thirst for biofuels are among the biggest threats to biodiversity, reports this Inter Press Service article. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a UN-commissioned initiative to study ways to prevent environmental degradation, warns that the loss of just a few species may “result in a collapse” of the Earth’s ecosystem, which could worsen the effects of climate change and diminish the global food supply.Crops Feel the Heat as the World Warms (March 16, 2007)
The Carnegie Institution and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have found that warming temperatures over the past two decades have reduced major cereal grain crop production by 40 million metric tons per year. The study further “demonstrates that this decline is due to human-caused” global warming, thereby proving the “real effects” of climate change on the global food supply.Climate Report Warns of Drought, Disease (March 10, 2007)
The second report this year of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that, within the next century, global warming will cause increased global food and water shortages, “mass extinction” of polar bears and other animals, and a rise in tropical diseases like malaria. Warning that “things are happening…faster than we expected,” the IPCC reports that only immediate action can prevent “major impacts on human welfare.” (Associated Press)Southern Africa Braces for Poor Harvests
The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that “erratic weather patterns” in Africa may devastate agricultural output and lead to severe food shortages. The failure of donor countries to fully fund the WFP – which currently assists 4.3 million people in southern Africa alone – further threatens food security in the region.2006
War Climates (October 23, 2006)
In this TomPaine opinion piece Jeffrey Sachs makes a clear connection between climate-induced drought since the 1980s in Darfur, extreme poverty, and the present conflict in the region. Sachs argues that “crises that are fundamentally ecological in nature are managed by outdated strategies of war and diplomacy.” Climate change will increasingly pose security threats across the world, as it causes or exacerbates huge ecological challenges, among them the looming worldwide water crisis. Arguing for instance that “Darfur needs a water strategy more than a military strategy,” Sachs urges the worlds’ governments to focus their resources to such underlying challenges, and suggests that all governments establish ministries of sustainable development.The Freshwater Boom Is Over. Our Rivers Are Starting to Run Dry (October 10, 2006)
With water tables falling, rivers drying out and salt pollution of groundwater rising across the world, global fresh water resources become increasingly scarce. In this Guardian article, George Monbiot cites results from a British Met Office study showing that climate change will significantly increase the severity and duration of droughts by 2100. He warns that the ensuing exacerbation of water scarcity will cause a global food deficit entailing “almost unimaginable future misery.” With no viable adaptation alternatives, “averting this catastrophe” of global drying, requires a 60 percent cut in carbon emissions by 2030, Monbiot argues.Need for Water Could Double in 50 Years, UN Study Finds (August 22, 2006)
This New York Times piece reports on a UN study warning that water scarcity may lead to violent conflict, drying rivers, groundwater pollution and the clearing of grassland and forests. Since irrigation and dam-building prove difficult and time-consuming, some experts suggest that governments and donors should give farmers small scale methods such as tanks and pumps, alongside much needed credit, crops, and roads. With growing population and increasing consumption, the already damaging effects of water shortages could further limit poor countries' ability to feed themselves.A Third of the World Population Faces Water Scarcity Today (August 21, 2006)
At the August 2006 World Water Week in Stockholm, researchers presented initial findings from the “Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture” carried out by 700 experts over five years. In 2000, researchers had predicted that water scarcity would affect one third of the world’s population by 2025. The study finds that this occurred already in 2005. Furthermore, the study argues that the extensive use of water in agriculture bears much of the responsibility for the world’s water crisis, and that the key to resolving it lies in increasing agricultural “water productivity,” especially in poor countries (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and World Water Week)2005
One in Six Countries Facing Food Shortage (June 30, 2005)
Thirty-four countries are now experiencing droughts and food shortages, and their number could increase. Droughts could become semi-permanent if climate change persists, increasing global food shortages. Scientists predict that global warming will cause the dunes of the Kalihari desert to spread, shifting sand across huge tracts of Botswana, Angola, Zimbabwe and western Zambia. (Guardian)Global Warming Will Increase World Hunger (May 27, 2005)
With strong evidence that significant changes in the global climate will occur over the next century, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned in a report that global warming will pose a risk to global food security. Climate changes will include increased flooding and “extreme weather events” as well as drier climates and more droughts for other parts of the world. (Reuters)State of the World 2005 Trends and Facts — Cultivating Food Security (January 2005)
This excerpt from a World Watch Institute report warns that despite technological advancements, food insecurity is on the rise. In the second half of the 1990s the number of hungry people increased to nearly two billion people. Not only do “obvious” factors such as conflicts and diseases worsen the situation, but environmental degradation caused by pollution and large scale farming do as well. The report argues that if farmers rely on their environmental knowledge and consumers buy locally produced goods, they can make progress on food security.2004
Global Food Prices a Warning Beacon (November 23, 2004)
Food security and sustainable development experts warned that food demand will rise 60 percent by 2030, a growth that will jeopardize the global food production system. As falling water tables and rising temperatures will restrain food production expansion, the world may face a global rise in food prices “within the next few years.” (Tierramérica)Fears of Famine as Locusts Advance Across W. Africa (Aug 8, 2004)
A devastating swarm of locusts is descending on Western Africa. In a single day, the swarm can consume more food than 2,500 people, which will thrust the region into a state of emergency food shortages. Though only $9 million of relief have been pledged, experts expect the total damage to exceed $80 million. (Reuters)Bangladesh Needs Food for 20 Million (August 4, 2004)
For the past 6 years, drastic monsoons and flooding have covered over 60% of Bangladesh. The weather crisis is now affecting economic productivity, and the death toll continues to climb. In response, UNICEF launched a mission to raise $134 million for humanitarian relief. (Guardian)2003
Climate Change Already a Killer (October 1, 2003)
This article reports that global warming causes 160,000 deaths each year from diseases and starvation, following extreme weather conditions such as droughts and floods. The Environment News Service calls on Russia to promptly ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which could contribute to halting climate change.Hunger Poverty and Biodiversity in Developing Countries (June 2003)
With the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the United Nations has committed itself to halve the proportion of people suffering from chronic malnutrition by 2015. In assessing the MDGs, this paper stresses the importance of recognizing the links between food insecurity, poverty and bio-diversity loss, and says bio-diversity loss is a root cause of hunger. (Future Harvest)Bizarre Weather Ravages Africans' Crops (January 7, 2003)
Scientists believe that Africans suffering from food shortages across the continent may represent some of the first victims of climate change, as highly unusual weather patterns have left fields barren. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the effects of global warming will continue to intensify water shortages, hunger, and disease. (Washington Post)2001-2002
8.6 Million Central Americans Face Hunger (September 30, 2002)
The World Food Program reports that a series of droughts alternating with floods has left millions of people in Central America vulnerable to food shortages. (Tierramérica)Don't Shove Biotech Down Africa's Throat (September 14, 2002)
United States officials pressure African countries facing hunger epidemics to accept genetically modified (GM) grain in the form of aid. However, “in trying to force GM corn onto the plates of African children, the U.S. government is less concerned about their hunger than about expanding the market for biotech seed.” (Yellow Times)World Agriculture: Towards 2015/2030 (August, 2002)
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that hunger will still be a big problem in 2030. Despite slower population growth and lower demand for food, environmental problems and food insecurity need urgent attention.(FAO)Footprints and Milestones: Population and Environmental Change (November 7, 2001)
UN Population Fund calls for universal education, basic health care and reproductive rights for women to combat poverty and rapid population growth. The report states that by 2050, 4.2 billion people will be living in hunger, out of a total projected world population of 9.3 billion.
More Information on Social and Economic Policy
More Information on World Hunger
