Social vulnerability, Food insecurity and Climate change

 

Climate change is having an influence all across the planet. Climate change is changing how we manage our water, farm our agricultural lands, and build our cities.

The number of extreme weather-related disasters has risen since the early 1990s.This has resulted in lower yields for important crops, resulting in higher food prices and lower income. Since 2000, the globe has made slow but steady progress in eliminating hunger on a global basis, but development has been unequal. We've reduced global hunger, yet the number of people going to bed hungry is increasing in absolute terms. Hunger-stricken countries are typically also vulnerable to climate change and have limited capability to respond.

Climate change has an impact on food production, availability, access, quality, use, and food system stability. The nutritious value of crops is reduced when CO2 levels rise. Climate variability, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, is responsible for at least 80% of the variability in cereal crop yields in semi-arid regions of the world (such as Africa's Sahel region). Higher carbon dioxide concentrations lower the protein, zinc, and iron content of crops, according to studies. By 2050, an estimated 175 million more individuals would have zinc deficiencies (which might make them more susceptible to infections, among other things), and 122 million more would be protein deficient. 

Several quantitative analyses also imply that as a result of climate change, food costs will rise, reducing the ability of impoverished farmers to purchase food. The impact of these price increases on food will ultimately be determined by socioeconomic development: Climate variability and extremes are projected to make food stability much more difficult. Climate change will have an impact on pest and disease patterns, as well as the body's ability to absorb and use nutrients, and disease will raise nutrition requirements. Climate change has the potential to increase the number of hungry children, particularly in developing countries. As sea levels have risen, the frequency of extreme occurrences has increased, providing risk while also increasing the world's vulnerability to future food instability.

Coastal freshwater is being contaminated by salt water, resulting in a lack of fresh water for domestic use and the inability to cultivate plants or food crops that are not salt-tolerant. Extreme weather events, such as rising anomalies in seasonal rainfall patterns, have become more often and more intense as a result of climate change. Ecological niches have shifted as the seasons have changed. Rainfall is growing increasingly unpredictable and unreliable, and it has become more prevalent, causing farmers' traditional agricultural expertise and coping mechanisms to become more unclear.

The food system currently produces 21–37 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, implying that food losses contribute to the climate catastrophe while doing nothing to improve food security or malnutrition levels.

One of the most significant concerns we face as a species is climate change. We are on the verge of an environmental disaster as a result of human activity over the last 200 years. We're advised, though, that there are still things we can do to limit the damage. One such step is lowering your carbon impact.

Carbon footprint

A term used to describe the amount of carbon. The overall amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of an individual's, organization's, or country's actions. CO2e is the most common unit of measurement (carbon dioxide equivalent). 

In the United States, a person's average carbon footprint is 16 tonnes, one of the highest rates in the world. The global average is closer to four tonnes. By 2050, the average worldwide carbon footprint per year must be under 2 tonnes to have the best chance of averting a 2°C rise in global temperatures. Individual carbon footprints can be reduced from 16 tonnes to 2 tonnes over time. We can start making a large difference by making little changes to our behavior, such as eating less meat, taking fewer connecting flights, and line drying our clothes. Individuals require the following information in order to calculate their carbon footprint.

•  How many miles can you travel by car, bus, train, or plane?
• The amount of energy used at home.
• How much money did you spend on shopping?
• The diet's composition.

Individuals should always attempt to lower their carbon footprint to minimize environmental impacts, regardless of their carbon footprint score.

Experts agree that a target limit of about 2 tonnes per person per year should be set. The world average is currently 4 tonnes per person, with significant variance between countries. The United States of America has a national average of 20, the United Kingdom has a national average of 9, and China has a national average of 3.Individual actions are thought to account for about 45 percent of your total "footprint." The rest is your “allocation” of emissions created by the system for services delivered to you or on your behalf. While system- and individual-level measures will be required to meet agreed-upon targets, there is much that everyone can do to decrease their own carbon footprints. Actions targeted at reducing carbon emissions might be extremely beneficial to one's health, as shown below!

•  As much as possible, recycle.
• Check to see whether your municipality offers recycling services.
• Reduce the amount of rubbish that is generated.
• Your shopping bag can be reused.
• Choose products that have a minimal amount of packaging.
• Stop burning trash in your home.
• Seasonal and regional foods should be consumed.
• When you're not using the lights, turn them off.
• It is not good idea to leave appliances on standby.
• It is not good idea to use bottled water.
•  Invest in public transportation.
•  Avoid speeding since it consumes more gasoline and emits more CO2.When compared to driving at 80 km per hour, driving faster than 120 km per hour increases fuel usage by 30%. In terms of fuel economy, higher gears (4th, 5th, and 6th) are the most efficient.

The links between climate change and food access are complicated, especially because the effects of economic expansion are difficult to define and calculate. Climate change may cause key crop prices to rise in the next decades. The poorest people, who already spend the majority of their money on food, would be forced to make extra sacrifices. As agricultural productivity declines as a result of climate change, rural incomes may be impacted. In the absence of adaptation, there is a growing consensus that changes in temperature and precipitation might have negative consequences for the food security of the most vulnerable populations.

Thank you for visiting

Aqsa Muhammadi

MS- Environmental Sciences