Preparing for unavoidable change
Drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are an essential component of a global food security strategy to prevent climate change from becoming catastrophic. Our current trajectory is sending us towards warming of around 5-6ºC above pre-industrial levels, which — if it continues for many more decades — would lead to famines beyond imagining and would almost certainly guarantee sea-level rises of around 12 metres.
The IPCC concluded that to have an even chance of keeping warming to around 2ºC — not a safe level but possibly tolerable — the rich countries need to reduce their emissions by 25-40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050; developing countries also need to reduce their emissions below their “business as usual” rate.
Developing countries urgently need more assistance to help them prepare for the impacts of climate change that are unavoidable. Such assistance should include transfer of the industrialised countries’ best energy efficiency and renewable energy technology and assistance with disaster preparedness, agricultural productivity improvements, water management, conflict prevention, reforestation, preventing deforestation and critical infrastructure.