FAO’s concern of food shortage in new climate
“The climate change will lead to adverse and immediate impact on world food security” – says United Nation Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
FAO Director General Jacques Diouf told the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali that it will “also increase the vulnerability of poor people every time”.
The year 2006 report of Food Insecurity estimated that about 854 million people worldwide suffer from hunger, of which more than 820 million is belong to developing countries. – Diouf.
He further warns that “If we do not act immediately, climate change will increase hunger and malnutrition”.
The medium term effect of climate change are anticipated from changes in mean temperature and rainfall, increase weather variability and the sea level rise and are particularly affected on vulnerable people and food systems. Three out of four world’s one billion poorest and most vulnerable people in rural areas of developing countries, and depend on agriculture, forestry, and fishing for their livelihoods. “Inhabitants of coast, floodplains, mountains, dry lands, and the Arctic are most at risk”. Low income people everywhere will be at risk of food insecurity due to loss of assets, absence of alternative livelihood options, and lack of adequate insurance coverage from extreme weather events”.
Deforestation was responsible for an estimated 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and one of the challenges is how to provide adequate incentives to reduced deforestation and forest degradation.
Effective strategies required increased investment agriculture development and natural resources management at local and national levels.
Important Legislations dealing with water and air pollution control and Environment Protection
The water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) act, 1974.
The water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) cess act, 1977.
The air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) act, 1981.
The Environmental Protection Act, 1986.
Hazardous Waste (management and handling) Rules, 1991.
Indian Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code.
Kyoto Protocol
The finalization of the United Nations’ environmental accord has been hampered for years by bitter negotiations. The agreement aiming to curb carbon gas pollution was agreed to in 1997.
However, United States rejected Kyoto in 2001, saying that the cost for meeting its targets would be too high for the US economy, which is massively dependent on the fossil fuels that are at the source of the problem. US abandonment stripped Kyoto of he world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases, accounting by itself for a quarter of the global total.
Russia’s ratification then became necessary for Kyoto to survive, as it had to be supported by countries accounting for at least 55 per cent of developed nations’ greenhouse gas.
The 30 industrialised countries that have ratified it will now be legally bound to meet specific targets of reducing or limiting emissions of six carbon gases by a timeframe of 2008 – 12. Only four industrialized states are yet to ratify the protocol – Australia, the United States, Monaco and Leichtenstein. Developing countries are being given financial help to avoid joining the path of fossil pollution and to help cope with the effects of climate change.
Emissions Trading
Each country has agreed to limit the emissions to the levels described in the Protocol, but many countries have limits that are set above their current production. These extra amounts can be purchased by other countries on the open market. So, for instance, Russia currently easily meets its targets, and can sell off its credits for millions of dollars to countries that don’t yet meet their targets, Canada for instance. This rewards countries that meet their targets, provides financial incentives to others to do so as soon as possible.
Countries also receive credits through various shared “clean energy” programs and “carbon dioxide sinks” in the form of forests and other systems that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Status of the agreement
As of November 2004, 127 countries have ratified the Protocol, including India. Fourteen other countries have signed the Protocol but not ratified it. These are: Australia, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Switzerland, United States, Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Solomon Islands.
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone layer is an inter-lion al treaty designed to protect the Ozone layer by depletion by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for Ozone depletion. The treaty was opened for signature on September 16, 1967 and entered into force on January 1, 1989. Since then it has undergone five revisions, in 1990 {London}, 1992 {Copenhagen}, 1995 {Vienna}, 1997 {Montreal}, and 1999 {Bering}. Due to its widespread adoptTM and adherence has been nailed as an example of exceptional international cooperation.