Climate crisis and food insecurity-key issues for developing countries, WFP and FAO

Recently in an interview, Andre Correa do Lago, Brazilian Foreign Ministry's Secretary for the Environment urged countries to set new high goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It may also be noted that with the February deadline for the signatories of the Paris Climate Accord, it is now critical to unveil new goals for 2035. This has gained particular attention as the European Union and China are yet to announce identifiable targets.

It may be recalled that under the Accord, countries agreed in 2015 to try to hold warming to 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial level, which has ostensibly been breached over the past two years.

The next COP 30 meeting, to be held in Brazil, will be convened within the long shadow cast by US President Donald Trump's decision that the USA was not only withdrawing from the Paris Accord but also going to enhance the prospect of using fossil fuels.

Correa do Lago has suggested that hopefully the G-20 or the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change would be used to persuade the USA to reverse its decision.

It may be noted that the last COP convened in Azerbaijan had not met the full expectations of the affected developing countries related to increasd financial assistance from wealthy nations to overcome their difficulties in the context of climate mitigation and adaptation.

This time efforts will apparently be made by Brazil and Azerbaijan to present alternatives so that financial resources can be increased from US $300 billion to US $ 1.3 trillion to meet the growing needs for tackling climate variability.

Correa do Lago has also emphasised that efforts are underway to tackle different dimensions of the desired goal. In this context, attention has also been drawn to the fact that some countries are swinging in and out of the desired paradigm. However, hope has to prevail with regard to reducing the impacts of climate variability. Apparently, the positive steps taken in this regard has enabled Brazil to already reduce deforestation in the Amazon.  

We need to remember that over the past few years, climate shocks have become more frequent and have devastated economies and agriculture systems, exacerbating widespread malnutrition and hunger. It has also become increasingly apparent that the utilisation of sustainable agriculture practices and disaster risk management systems are crucial to fulfill growing needs as natural resources continue to dwindle.

A new analysis conducted by climatologist Professor James Hansen states that due to the rapidly accelerating nature of the climate crisis, previous climate goals are now considered impossible to achieve. Hansen has pointed out that  "the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) defined a scenario which gives a 50 per cent chance to keep warming under 2°C - that scenario is now impossible. The 2°C  target is dead, because the global energy use is rising, and it will continue to rise."  He has added that global temperatures are likely to reach 2°C by 2045. It is estimated that this will trigger a rise in sea levels by several meters through the melting of polar caps, and also cause irreversible damage to critical ecosystems around the world.

On January 28, the World Food Programme (WFP) released an update to their climate change policies detailing the urgency of effective climate action as it relates to worldwide food production. This release expands upon the 2017 version, underscoring the international setbacks that have contributed to the worsening climate crisis.

World Food Programme's (WFP)'s policy update states that these changes will exacerbate the hunger crisis for the most food-insecure populations. Climate-induced disasters, such as heat waves and tropical storms will particularly, disproportionately affect women, children, displaced persons, and people with disabilities. It is estimated that rising global temperatures will cause approximately 12.5 million girls to drop out of school, which significantly will undermine their capability to cope with food insecurity and malnutrition in their communities.

On January 27, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has also released a Report titled - Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, 2024, highlighting the wide scale of devastation that the climate crisis had brought upon people in rural communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Of the countries studied in this analysis, 20 reported facing a high frequency of natural disasters and 14 were considered highly vulnerable to malnutrition and food insecurity. In 2023, it is estimated that climate-induced disasters drove roughly 72 million people into emergency levels of hunger.

Lola Castro, WFP's Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean has in this context observed, "Climate shocks are making it increasingly difficult for families across Latin America and the Caribbean to produce, transport, and access food. Frequent storms and floods are destroying homes and farmlands, while drought and erratic rainfall are wiping out crops before they can grow."

It may be recalled in this context that in 2024, the El Niño weather phenomenon triggered extensive heat waves and droughts across Argentina, Mexico, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, causing an increase in the prices of corn, which is a staple crop in that region. Additionally, heavy rainfall in Ecuador caused a 32 to 54 per cent increase in wholesale prices of corn, making food inaccessible for numerous communities. Ivy Blackmore, a researcher with the University of Missouri who analysed nutrition and agriculture among rural communities in Ecuador has also observed,  "in more rural areas they do not have a lot of resources to be able to weather a poor harvest. You don't generate as much income. There is not as much nutritious food around, so they sell what they can, and then they purchase the cheapest thing that will fill them up."

Such a critical observation reiterates that extreme weather can make healthier food options inaccessible for communities in climate-sensitive areas. We have noticed such a similar scenario due to recent acute flooding in Bangladesh. The resulting cataclysmic scenario in the affected rural areas led inhabitants to gravitate towards cheaper, unhealthier food sources. This was particularly apparent not only in Latin America but also in different parts of Africa. In these places the cost of a healthy diet has become the highest in the world. As a result, child and adult obesity has risen significantly since 2000 in these areas. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has correctly noted that "overweight and obesity are growing challenges in the region and key risk factors for non-communicable diseases. A healthy diet is the foundation for health, well-being, and optimal growth and development."

According to FAO's studies, in the Caribbean, approximately 50 per cent of the population, or 22.2 million people, have been directly affected by climate variability and have consequently been unable to afford a healthy and balanced diet. In Mesoamerica, roughly 26.3 per cent were unable to meet their nutrition needs.  South America has the highest numbers, with 113.6 million people unable to afford proper nutrition.

WFP is apparently currently working with smallholder farmers and distributors to incorporate more resource-efficient technologies for food production in an effort to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and prevent excessive wastage. Additionally, they are working with women and young people, who have been historically excluded from jobs in marketing and technology, to support socio-economic growth in these communities.

WFP is aiming to increase government funding for food-security measures, sustainable technologies, and risk management systems. Through the Green Climate Adaptation Fund and other government-financed investments, WFP seeks to facilitate agriculture practices with a smaller carbon footprint and help the most disaster-prone communities prepare for and face losses from extreme-weather phenomenon.

Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.

muhammadzamir0@gmail.com