fao-climate-change

Summit declaration vows better governance, increased investment and proactive climate change strategy

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

World leaders convened at FAO Headquarters for the World Summit on Food Security unanimously adopted a declaration pledging renewed commitment to eradicate hunger from the face of the earth sustainably and at the earliest date. Countries also agreed to work to reverse the decline in domestic and international funding for agriculture and promote new investment in the sector, to improve governance of global food issues in partnership with relevant stakeholders from the public and private sector, and to proactively face the challenges of climate change to food security.

Climate change: challenges for agriculture and food security – a roundtable during the FAO Food Security Summit

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

On 17 November a roundtable tackling climate change adaptation and mitigation and the challenges for agriculture and food security will take place during the World Summit on Food Security in Rome. The round table will discuss current and future challenges in various regions of the world regarding the impacts of climate change on food security and rural livelihoods, with emphasis on the impact on women; technology transfer, capacity building, information management, policies and financing needs for adapting agriculture to climate change.

Promoting climate-smart agriculture

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

The twin battles to improve food security for a growing world population and contain climate change can be fought on the same front—the world's farmland, FAO said in a new report released today. Agriculture not only suffers the impacts of climate change, it is also responsible for 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. But agriculture has the potential to be an important part of the solution, through mitigation—reducing and/or removing—a significant amount of global emissions, FAO says. Some 70 percent of this mitigation potential could be realized in developing countries.

The UN-REDD Programme welcomes five new countries

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

The UN-REDD Programme’s third Policy Board welcomed five new countries. Argentina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Nepal and Sri Lanka are the first to officially request to participate in the UN-REDD Programme, in addition to the initial nine member countries. Nearly 20 countries have expressed interest and more are expected to join.

FAO targets land tenure

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Land ownership laws a key instrument in fighting hunger -- FAO has begun widespread consultations over the first ever international guidelines on governance of tenure to land and other natural resources such as water supplies, fisheries and forests.

Global forest monitoring to help mitigate climate change

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:00:00 GMT

For the first time worldwide, free and ready-to-use high-resolution satellite data is now available to monitor forests and help reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. The monitoring system has been launched by FAO and other partners as part of the Global Forest Resources Assessment.

Healthy oceans new key to combating climate change

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:00:00 GMT

A 'Blue Carbon' fund able to invest in the maintenance and rehabilitation of key marine ecosystems should be considered by governments keen to combat climate change. A new Rapid Response Report released today estimates that carbon emissions--equal to half the annual emissions of the global transport sector--are being captured and stored by marine ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses.

Linking saving forests to climate change mitigation and sustainable livelihoods

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:00:00 GMT

World Forestry Congress to meet in Buenos Aires – As climate change negotiations enter their final stretch towards the December conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, the World Forestry Congress will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 18-23 October 2009. The most important meeting on the global calendar with regard to the forestry sector, the World Forestry Congress has been held every six years since 1926, organized by the government of the host country under the auspices of FAO.

2050: Climate change will worsen the plight of the poor

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Future of agriculture and food security closely linked to climate change -- Poorest regions with the highest levels of chronic hunger are likely to be among the worst affected by climate change, according to an FAO discussion paper published today. Many developing countries, particularly in Africa, could become increasingly dependent on food imports.

2050: Increased investment in agricultural research essential

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Producing more food will largely depend on increasing crop yields, not farming more land -- Boosting agricultural production to the levels needed to feed an expanded world population will require sharply increased public investment in research and development and widespread adoption of new technologies, farming techniques and crop varieties, according to a new FAO discussion paper published today.

Wood energy consumption increase is here to stay

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Geneva, 25 September 2009 -- Wood energy consumption has increased by 3.5% annually between 2005 and 2007 in UNECE’s 56 Member States, concluded a UNECE/FAO workshop on “Current and future woody biomass for energy – Monitoring use and understanding technology” held on 15-16 September 2009 in Riga.

"Climate change: the first step? Educating people and raising their awareness regarding the potential impacts"

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

"We should act now to curb climate change. We can do it if science, governments, businesses and communities come together and address this pressing issue." Read the full interview with Balgis Osman-Elasha, Nobel Peace Prize laureate together with theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) who will be a keynote speaker on “Producing for development” at the XIII World Forestry Congress in Argentina.

High level event on forests and climate change supports emissions reduction mechanism

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

In an unprecedented display of cooperation between developed and developing countries on climate change, eighteen Heads of State gathered at UN headquarters in New York on 23 September to publicly express their commitment and support for REDD—Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation in developing counties.

REDD on the agenda at UN Summit on Climate Change

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened on 22 September a Summit on Climate Change to mobilize the political will and vision needed to reach an ambitious agreed outcome based on science at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December 2009. It will include a specific high-level session on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) on 23 September.

First shoots of Haiti’s agricultural renaissance

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

$10.2 million FAO/IFAD seed scheme yields results --- A $10.2 million scheme to distribute and multiply quality seeds in Haiti has significantly increased food production in the Caribbean nation providing cheaper food for the population and boosting farmers' incomes. Requested by the Haitian government, financed by a loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by FAO, the programme was introduced to combat high international food prices.

Third World Climate Conference

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Geneva meeting to examine vital role of climate information and prediction --- With climate change increasing the incidence and severity of weather events, agriculture, one of the most climate dependent of all human activities, depends heavily on effective meteorological services which are vital to climate change mitigation and adaptation, said an FAO expert today. “The economic costs associated with natural disasters, including extreme weather events, have increased 14-fold in agriculture since the 1950s,” said Alexander Mueller, FAO Assistant Director-General for Natural Resources, speaking at this week’s third World Climate Conference (WCC-3) being held in Geneva.

The lurking menace of weeds

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Farmers' enemy No. 1 --- Today more than a billion people in the world are hungry, the result of flawed policies mainly, but also of wars and revolutions and of natural hazards like floods, droughts, pests and diseases compounded, nowadays, by climate change. But one huge hunger-maker lurks largely unnoticed ...

FAO initiates debate on declaration for World Summit on Food Security

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Calls for eradication of hunger by 2025 and for more investment in agriculture --- FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf has invited governments around the world to participate in negotiations to agree on a declaration for adoption by the World Summit of Heads of State and Government on Food Security, to take place from 16 to 18 November 2009 in Rome. The decision to convene the summit was taken by the FAO Council in June 2009. To initiate the negotiation process, Dr Diouf has sent a document to Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Development Cooperation and Agriculture of members of FAO and the United Nations.

Youth Gathering on Climate Change to Call for Real Action in Copenhagen

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Emerging leaders representing three billion people - the children and youth of the planet - will converge on the Republic of Korea to voice their demands for action on climate change at the Copenhagen meeting. FAO with other partners is supporting UNEP’s Tunza International Children and Youth Conference, in Daejeon (Republic of Korea) on 17-23 August, the biggest youth gathering on climate change before the UN climate conference in December.

FAO and YUNGA mobilizing youth for Copenhagen Seal the Deal Petition

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Reaching a deal by the time the meeting ends on December 18 will depend not only on political negotiations but also on public pressure. To do this, the United Nations has launched “Seal the Deal”, a campaign that encourages users to sign an online, a global petition which will be presented to world leaders. FAO and YUNGA are supporting UNEP in mobilizing one million young people to march across one hundred capitals to deliver to global leaders the Seal the Deal Petition on behalf of the world’s three billion young people.