7-March-2024-Special-Article

THE UNJUST CLIMATE: FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently published a report titled “The Unjust Climate,” which delves into the impacts of climate change on income and adaptation in rural areas, with a specific focus on gender, wealth, and age disparities.

This report is crucial for understanding the multifaceted challenges faced by rural communities in the context of climate change.

Key Findings of the Report:

Impact of Extreme Weather on Poor Rural Households:

• Extreme heat and precipitation events result in significant income losses for poor rural households, affecting both on-farm and off-farm incomes.
• Every day of extreme heat leads to a loss of 2.4% of on-farm incomes and 1.5% of off-farm incomes for poor households.
• Similarly, extreme precipitation events cause poor households to lose 0.8% of their incomes compared to non-poor households.

Income Inequality Widening Due to Climate Stressors:

• Climate stressors such as heat stress and floods widen the income gap between poor and non-poor households, exacerbating income inequality.
• Poor households lose approximately 5% of their total income due to heat stress and 4.4% due to floods in an average year.

Maladaptive Coping Strategies:

• Poor rural households often resort to maladaptive coping strategies, such as distress sale of livestock and reducing investments in agriculture, when faced with extreme weather events.
• These strategies make them more vulnerable to future climate stressors and perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

Inadequate Inclusion in National Climate Policies:

• Rural people’s vulnerabilities to climate change are largely overlooked in national climate policies, with minimal mention of poor people and farmers in adaptation plans and climate finance allocations.
• Agricultural policies also fail to address gender equality and women’s empowerment, further exacerbating vulnerabilities.

Recommendations of the Report:

Targeted Interventions:

• Targeted interventions are needed to empower rural populations, especially women and marginalized groups, to engage in climate-adaptive measures.
• Policies and programs should address the multidimensional climate vulnerabilities of rural communities and provide access to productive resources.

Linking Social Protection Programs:

• Social protection programs should be linked to advisory services that encourage adaptation and compensate farmers for losses.
• Cash-based social assistance programs can play a crucial role in supporting vulnerable households during climate-related shocks.

Gender-Transformative Approaches:

• Gender-transformative methodologies are essential for challenging discriminatory gender norms and empowering women to make economic decisions that impact their lives.
• Addressing gender inequalities is integral to effective climate adaptation strategies.

FAO’s Initiatives to Tackle Climate Change:

Inclusive Climate Actions:

• FAO’s Strategy and Action Plan on Climate Change prioritize inclusive climate actions that promote better production, nutrition, environment, and livelihoods for all.
• The Global Roadmap for Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 without breaching the 1.5 °C threshold emphasizes the simultaneous consideration of gender, climate actions, and nutrition.

About the Food and Agriculture Organization:

• The FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to defeating hunger and promoting sustainable agriculture.
• It plays a vital role in monitoring global food security, coordinating food aid efforts, and implementing agricultural development projects.
• The FAO publishes flagship publications such as the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, the State of the World’s Forests, and the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, providing valuable insights into global food systems and agricultural trends.
  

  Mains Question:

  “Discuss the findings of the FAO report ‘The Unjust Climate’ and its implications for rural communities. Suggest measures to address these challenges and highlight the role of targeted interventions and inclusive climate actions in promoting sustainable adaptation strategies.”(150 words)