COP23: 6 Reasons why Welthungerhilfe is at the Conference

1. Climate Change Primarily Affects People Stricken by Poverty and Hunger

Throughout the world, extreme weather events are affecting the poorest people the most because they have hardly any of the money, knowledge or supplies necessary for preventing and responding to emergencies. Approximately 80% of those suffering hunger are farmers, herders, fishers, hunters or gatherers and/or belong to indigenous populations. In addition to being calorically undernourished, they also suffer from a chronic lack of essential micronutrients. Women and children are often the most vulnerable. Children who grow up malnourished continue to suffer the consequences of malnutrition in adulthood.

2. Extreme Weather Threatens Agriculture

A temperature increase of only one or two degrees Celsius noticeably intensifies dry seasons in the tropics and subtropics. Arid regions in particular can no longer be cultivated. Another challenge is presented by variable precipitation and an increase in extreme weather events such as floods. Since most developing countries are located in the tropics and subtropics, they are disproportionately affected by the effects of climate change. Average and projected crop yields have decreased significantly in Africa and in the alpine regions of Asia and Latin America. Left unchecked, climate change therefore presents a threat to food security and to the security of the population as a whole.

3. Water Scarcity Shrinks Harvests

In many regions, water is becoming more scarce. This is causing not only the people but also their crop yields to suffer. Agricultural production and efficiency therefore increasingly depend on water-saving and water-storing technologies such as terrace construction, rainwater collection, adapted irrigation systems and the rehabilitation of parched land. Farmers and smallholders need targeted support with such procedures, since they cannot easily raise the necessary capital themselves.

4. Climate Change Requires new Crisis Prevention Solutions and Early Warning Systems

Since the amount of extreme weather events will increase, investments must be made in early warning systems, improved and decentralised disaster prevention, and comprehensive risk management. These systems must be expanded on a national level, i.e. by

• establishing or increasing stockpiles of strategic food reserves;
• expanding and securing rural infrastructure;
• adapting space, settlement and land use planning; and
• building technologically-adapted structures, e.g. for flood protection.

Comprehensive risk management also involves offering risk insurance. This includes insurance against crop failures on the household level as well as pooled insurance approaches in which risks are spread across multiple states. Food security is unattainable without disaster and crisis prevention.

5. Disasters Caused by Extreme Weather Events Damage the Economy

Disasters caused by extreme weather events are already responsible for annual losses to the world economy totalling more than USD 300 billion. The OECD has determined that, beginning in 2020, economic power (GDP) can be expected to decrease by 3.3% annually due to increases in extreme weather events. This especially affects poor countries, which are already extremely vulnerable to external shocks. Poor countries now need to spend yearly sums of USD 30 billion due to disasters. This amounts to one third of the amount spent on development cooperation (ODA) worldwide. The survival of smallholders and poor households with low incomes is especially threatened.

6. Climate Change Causes Poverty and Inequality

Climate change and war increases inequality. Inequality is therefore a result of power disparities, which, in turn, lead to food disparities. A recently-published study of the World Bank arrived at the conclusion that these disasters plunge an additional 26 million people per year into poverty. Effects on lives and living environments as well as possessions and budgets are distributed unequally throughout the world.