By Aristotle P.
Carandang
Andhra Pradesh, India.—"The poorest of the poor would be the
most vulnerable." This was the message of Dr. William Dar, director general of
the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in
Patancheru, during a symposium on Climate-Proofing Innovation for Poverty
Reduction and Food Security held recently in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Dar encouraged everyone to look for opportunities for
instrumentalities to help people adapt. He said, "If there is
"business-as-usual" attitude among governments then we are in for a big, big
trouble."
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) reported on the abrupt and irreversible damage brought about by climate
change. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has urged governments to act
immediately as there could be widespread human suffering and species extinction.
In the same forum, Dr. Martin Parry, co-chair of the Working
Group II of the UN IIPCC, emphasized that climate change impacts greatly on crop
yields and global food supply. He also said that the risk of hunger appears to
increase generally as a result, particularly in southern Africa and Asia.
Dr. Parry’s paper reported, "The IPCC has recently concluded
that, while there is extensive potential to adapt to small amounts of warming,
and that the next few decades might even bring benefits to higher latitudes
through longer growing seasons, at lower latitudes even small amounts of warming
would tend to decrease yields and, beyond about two degrees of warming would
decrease yields in almost all parts of the world."
Among the areas of concern listed in the IPCC report include
the following: By 2010, global average surface temperatures could rise between
1.1 and 6.4 degrees Celcius, compared to 1980-1999 levels, while sea levels will
rise by between 18 cm and 59 cm; One-third of animal and plant species risk
extinction if temperature rise exceeds 1.5 to 2.5 degrees C; Heatwaves,
rainstorms and cyclones will be more frequent; The poor and the elderly will
suffer the most and hunger and disease will be more common; and countries near
the equator, mostly poor ones in Africa and Asia, generally face greater risks
such as desertification or floods.
Mitigating emission of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, by
industrialized counties is one of proposed solutions. Various scientific studies
reported that emission of greenhouse gasses is the major cause of global warming
which is now felt by almost every nation.
The IPCC panel has proposed some solutions all directly
related to emission. These include imposition of higher taxes on emissions;
introduction of regulations and tradable permits for emissions; setting an
effective price to help cut carbon emissions; and initiating research to find
solutions to the problems.
They said that there is a need to adapt new technologies for
agriculture. According to Dr. Simon Best, ICRISAT governing board chair, "Food
security is endangered and we have to develop innovative farming strategies from
the traditional due to changing climate". He said that adaptation would play a
crucial role as everyone tries to address the problem.
Statements released during the forum stressed that
anthropogenic warming is unequivocal and effects are being observed now
especially in North America where glaciers begin to melt. Scientific studies
have also reported that there are observed changes in annual precipitation.
It was made clear that the advent of climate change would
possibly create adverse effects that would transform wet places to become wetter
while dry areas would become drier; water availability will decrease
substantially and great changes in drought severity.
It was also discussed that the agricultural sector would be
hit the most since there is projected agro-ecological shift resulting in changes
in length of growing season and shifting of crop suitability.
Economic models suggest prices will rise but there is uncertainty about when
this will occur.
