Climate change affecting food security: UN

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Climate change change is affecting availability, access, utilization and the stability of food security, the UN said Thursday in a report that shows its danger and effect on land.

"When land is degraded, it becomes less productive, restricting what can be grown and reducing the soil’s ability to absorb carbon,” according to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). “This exacerbates climate change, while climate change in turn exacerbates land degradation in many different ways.”

It indicated land, which must remain productive for food security, is already under increasing pressure by human activity and climate change.

“Better land management can contribute to tackling climate change, but is not the only solution," it said. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all fields is also essential.

The IPCC said coordinated action to address climate change can simultaneously improve land, food security and nutrition and help end hunger.

The IPCC was established by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies, according to its website.