23 Aralık 2015 Çarşamba

Climate change stresses food system


 

 

The number of 195 nations agreed the agreement at the UN climate conference following discussion held in Paris, as well as other global problems pose a threat for the entire world peace between 30th November and 11th December.  

The leaders provided political leadership and support to reach an ambitious and effective climate change agreement in order to set a low-carbon, climate-resilient future to keep average global temperature below two degrees Celsius.

Despite some protesting after the agreement, Paris conference regarded an opportunity to secure a global climate change agreement might pave the way towards a safer, healthier, more prosperous and sustainable future.

The importance of climate conference emerges forefront in terms of rising sea level, food systems and rural livelihoods. Because of climate change is already putting stress on food systems and rural livelihoods all around the globe.

The countries of which economies depends on a climate-sensitive natural resource base, including rain-fed subsistence agriculture, are vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

According to FAO, 75% of the world’s poor & food insecure people rely on agriculture & natural resources for their livelihoods.

 It is also expected to help address the needs of the nearly 634 million people, or a tenth of the global population who live in at-risky coastal areas just a few meters above existing sea levels, as well as those living in areas at risk of droughts and floods.

Rising temperatures are also predicted to reduce catches of the world’s main fish species by 40%.

If the necessary precautions would not be taken from now on, the problem would grow like avalanche in the upcoming years.

Currently, the food production is not sufficient to meet need of the world population.

In the future, world food production must rise 60% so as to keep pace with demographic change. Climate Change can transfer risks of food-borne diseases from 1 region to another, threatening public health in new ways.

“Ecosystems, and food and water supplies are under increasing pressure. The hardest hit is the poor and vulnerable – including small farmers, fishing communities and indigenous peoples,” warned the UN chief.

So, in order to achieve the target foreseen 1.5 or 2 degrees by 2030, the world’s use of fossil fuels will need to be reduced. Removing fossil fuel subsidies is predicted to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 10 per cent by 2050.

In order to be successful fossil fuels should be replaced with renewables. Wind plants and solar energy offer major potential for reducing poverty and limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

Transport sector is responsible for a quarter of all energy related CO2 emissions and this is predicted to grow to a third by 2050, faster than any other sector. According to the International Energy Agency, “we actually need three quarters of all new vehicle sales to be electric to keep warming below two degrees Celsius.”

As vehicles become more concentrated in urban areas concerns are also mounting around impacts on local air and noise pollution, which will disproportionally affect the areas in which up to 66% of the global population will live and work by 2050.

EVs offer a powerful and increasingly popular solution in achieving sustainable urban mobility.

So from now on, economies will shift from fossil based to green based models.