Creative Commons CC BY 2.0.Īgriculture has always been at the mercy of unpredictable weather, but a rapidly changing climate is making agriculture an even more vulnerable enterprise. Impacts to agriculture can in turn lead to higher food prices. 5 The food system is one of the areas where urgent interventions are needed most.įor most of the world’s farmers, the effects of climate change-including worsened problems of droughts, flooding, cyclones, heat waves, and pests-are expected to reduce the amount of food they can grow. Scientists and world leaders have called for immediate and dramatic action to reduce GHG emissions, enhance emissions sinks, 2 and prepare for the impacts that are expected to occur. Spreading insect-borne and water-borne diseases 4.Increased damages from flooding and wildfires.Forced migration from rising sea levels and natural disasters.More frequent and intense hurricanes, floods, heat waves, and other extreme weather events.The projected impacts of climate change, many of which are already occurring, include: 3Ĭlimate change is among the greatest threats of our generation-and of generations to come-to public health, ecosystems, and the economy. 1,2 These activities release greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, that trap the sun’s heat and warm the atmosphere-hence the name “greenhouse.” Natural processes also produce GHG emissions however, these have generally been counterbalanced by the capacity of trees, soil, oceans, and other sinks (storehouses) to sequester (capture and store) emissions. 1 An overwhelming body of evidence suggests global temperatures will continue to rise, and that human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and agriculture are the dominant cause. The global climate is warming at an unprecedented rate. Both weather and climate account for qualities like temperature, precipitation, and humidity.
“Climate” refers to general weather patterns over a broad area for a long period of time. The term “weather” refers to how the atmosphere behaves in a specific area over a short period of time, usually hours or days. 1 Globally, livestock production accounts for an estimate 14.5 percent of GHG emissions related to human activities. Human activities, are considered the dominant cause of the recent and dramatic rise in GHG concentrations. Prior to the industrial revolution, atmospheric concentrations of GHGs remained relatively stable for thousands of years. Concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs).
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