Climate change and the Risk of Hunger

Social Forum of the Human Rights Council

Carlo ScaramellaWFP Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Office

October 2010

Climate Change is a hunger risk multiplier

• declining yields and agricultural productivity • more frequent, erratic and intense climate and

weather-related hazards and disasters• deteriorating land & environmental conditions• reduced water availability & deteriorating sanitation • increasing conflicts over scarce resources• urbanization, migration and displacement

(IPCC 2007)

Impact on hunger and malnutrition

• Deepening poverty and inequality, and accelerating hunger trends in vulnerable countries/communities

• Estimated up to 20% global increases in malnutrition by 2050• About 65% of such increase in sub-Saharan Africa

Correlation with other food insecurity drivers could exacerbate these trends. For example:

• By 2020, in some African countries rain-fed agriculture could be

reduced by up to 50% • 650 million people in Africa already affected by land degradation - 50

million people could become environmental displaced within the next 10 years

• Global demand for food will double within the next 25-50 years – potential impact on food prices

LegendCountries are distorted according to undernourishment statistics as of 2006. Colour coding reflects the relative vulnerability of the country based on the climate change and food security vulnerability index*. This includes indicators for meteorological hazard frequency and impacts, demographics, environmental and agricultural sensitivity, infrastructure and governance.*Data sources: FAOSTAT, WDI, EM-DAT

Developed by WFP’s Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Coordination Office

A World Map of Hunger and Climate Vulnerability

Projecting impact on hunger and malnutrition

WFP’s Strategic Plan puts emphasis on interventions that are “responsive to the principles related to the right to food” and aimed at addressing “the root causes of hunger and vulnerability, including (…) protection causes”

WFP’s Strategic Plan

WFP’s angle• CC is about people• It poses an unprecedented challenge to

eradicating hunger and poverty (MDG1)• Over 80 percent of the world’s population does

not have access to social protection systems of any form

• Producing more food is a necessary but not sufficient condition…effective protection frameworks are necessary to ensure the food and nutritional security of the most vulnerable in the face of climate change.

WFP’s approach: protecting the most vulnerable

• Twin objectives of enhancing production and expanding access and protection for the most vulnerable

• Pro-poor, inclusive and equitable adaptation and development policies

• Strengthened social protection systems and enhanced productive safety nets as part of climate adaptation approaches

• Enabling and empowering local actors, leveraging co-benefits, focus on prevention

Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Programming in WFP, 2009

WFP projects in 2009

Countries with a climate change or disaster risk reduction activity

Climate change and disaster risk reduction projects by project category

Climate change and/or DRR

Climate change DRR

SAFE Stoves Co-benefits

• protection element with reduced gender based violence• 40-50% less firewood required with limited environmental impact • reduced health risks

Karamoja, Uganda: more than 35,000 households and 50 schools.

North Darfur, Sudan: 100,000 women and 170 schools in refugee settings (over half a million beneficiaries).

ETHIOPIA

• Managing Environmental Resources (MERET)

• Community-based development and adaptation solutions

• Enhanced community resilience • “Where the is MERET there is no

hunger”

http://www.wfp.org/videos/ethiopia-meret-changed-life