Healthy Planet UK
  • Home
  • About us
  • Our goals
    • Lifestyles
    • Curriculums
    • Schools
    • Political
  • Branches
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact us

18/11/2013

Losing time on agriculture in the climate talks - but progress on REDD+

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
Tim Dobermann



Increased food insecurity resulting from climate change is a big threat to many individuals living in the developing world, and likely to become increasingly so, especially with inadequate action on mitigation, as we're currently seeing.  Unfortunately, the inequality of climate change means we will see the greatest health impacts falling on the world’s poorest – and those least responsible for the problem.

Naturally, agriculture is a key issue for many parties here at COP.  For much of Africa and South Asia, the incomes and health are directly linked to the yields of their crops.  Moreover, it is one of, if not the most, climate-sensitive sectors.

That agriculture can play a key role in both adaptation and mitigation - and that they need to be integrated better - has been a common theme voiced in many events thus far.  Better management practices and techniques such as conservation tillage or proper application of fertilisers can both reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (among others) and improve the resilience of smallholder farmers in the face of climate change – and so help to protect against malnutrition.

Frustrations and setbacks

Unfortunately, in a late night (or more accurately early morning) session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), it became clear that no formal progress on establishing a working group or body to focus on agriculture would be made.

Perplexing to those outside the negotiations – but, as it seems, entirely normal within them – is that all sides agree on the importance of raising efforts into climate-smart agriculture, yet no substantial agreement can be found and so it has had to be pushed to the agenda for COP20 in Lima next year, to many Parties’  and NGOs' dismay.  Farmers and their families deserve so much better.

Silver linings

However, there is some good news amongst the largely frustrating negotiations. Comparatively little attention has been given to the advancements thamade in reducing emissions through deforestation and land degradation (REDD+), where the plus represents considerations about biodiversity and local and indigenous communities’ rights.  Forests serve as natural ‘carbon sinks’, which take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen through photosynthesis.

Parties have quickly recognised these benefits, and have readily moved towards mechanisms which can help to incentivise and implement these types of projects. Brazil has made significant leaps in reducing its emissions by combating deforestation; much could be gained by supporting other developing countries such as Indonesia to do the same, although the surge in global demand for palm oil of recent years poses a major challenge for REDD+ - and for climate and biodiversity.

What now?

The next few days see the start of the ‘high-level segment’ of the UN climate talks, where ministers and heads of state arrive to flex their political muscle in the negotiations.

This next week should be seen as an opportunity to bring forth practical and comprehensive steps forward in the lead-up to a potential 2015 agreement in Paris.  Genuine progress can be made on the issues concerning climate finance, ambitions for mitigation, and loss & damage.  It is clear that no big agreement will be reached in Warsaw, but this does not prevent it from laying out a solid framework to build upon in Lima, when the Parties meet next in 2014, and in Paris in 2015.  

Share

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

Details

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    August 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    February 2011

    Tags

    All
    Aid
    Air Pollution
    Arctic Ice Melt
    Austerity
    Biodiversity
    Biofuels
    Bonn Intersessionals
    Campaigns
    Carbon
    Catastrophes
    Cities
    Citizen Science
    Cleanmed
    Climate
    Coal
    Cop17
    Cop19
    Determinants Of Health
    Drought
    Durban
    Economy
    Education
    Energy
    Environmental Justice
    Equity
    Ethics
    Family Planning
    Food
    Fossil Fuel Industry
    Fracking
    Future
    Gender
    Health
    Healthcare
    Health Policy
    Hunger
    Hurricanes
    If Campaign
    Ifmsa
    Insurance
    Land
    Lifestyle Change
    Lobbying
    Malnutrition
    Mapping
    Meat
    Medical Education
    Methane
    Migration
    Mitigation
    Mobilisation
    Motivations
    Nuclear
    Nuclear Waste
    Participation
    Patient-centred Care
    Patient Empowerment
    Permafrost
    Policy
    Population
    Positive Feedbacks
    Reforms
    Rights
    Security
    Shale Gas
    Skepticism/denial
    Solar
    Sustainability
    Sustainable Healthcare
    Tax
    Themes
    Tobacco
    Transparency
    Uk Politics
    Ukycc
    Unfccc
    Un Talks
    Un Talks
    Us
    Weather
    Wind
    Women

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About us
  • Our goals
    • Lifestyles
    • Curriculums
    • Schools
    • Political
  • Branches
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact us