Climate change and the
Risk of Hunger
Social Forum of the Human Rights Council
Carlo Scaramella
WFP 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
A World Map of Hunger and Climate Vulnerability
Legend
Countries 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
Projecting impact on hunger and malnutrition
WFP’s Strategic Plan
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 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
Countries with a climate change or disaster risk reduction activity
Projects with a climate change or
DRR component
ODP
11
13%
ODS
2
2%
ODB
18
21%
ODC
11
13%
ODJ
28
33%
ODD
15
18%
WFP projects in 2009
Other projects
Projects with a CC or DRR component
Climate change and disaster risk
reduction projects by project category
Climate change and/or DRR
CC
27%
DRR
73%
103
Climate change
ODS
8
11
13
11
ODP
ODC
32
15
18
18
ODD
ODB
24
85
28
ODJ
Total
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/ethiopiameret-changed-life