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04.26.2008
TACKLING DROUGHT CRUCIAL IN FINDING FOOD CRISIS SOLUTION
Addressing drought is essential in resolving the food crisis the world faces, the United Nations agency – tasked with minimizing the threat posed by natural disasters – said today. “Drought creeps, so we can outrun it,” said Sálvano Briceño, Director of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Secretariat. “But this will take a genuine mindset and policy shift towards the ethos that prevention is better than cure, and serious political and economic commitment to saving harvests and lives on a global economic level.” Both drought and unsustainable water management play a key role in the current problem, and managing drought risk is essential to finding a long-term solution to the crisis, according to a press release issued by the ISDR. Reports of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – last year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate – have shown unequivocally the world is warming, almost certainly due to human activity, with potentially disastrous effects, including worsening drought in some regions and heavier rainfall in others. Major food exporters such as Australia and Ukraine are experiencing the effects of drought, serving as examples of how climate change can trigger future food crises. Water scarcity contributes to food scarcity and, as the IPCC has pointed out, billions of people are at risk of water stress by the end of the century unless carbon emissions are slashed and urgent adaptation actions are taken. The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction says a greater emphasis must be placed on disaster risk, urging communities and nations to enhance their defences against global warming, drought and desertification through such measures as improved water management. Yesterday, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned soaring food prices across the globe are threatening the agency’s efforts to feed the world’s hungry. World Food Programme Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, warns of the 'new face of hunger' – the millions being pushed into the urgent hunger category. “We're also concerned because this isn't just an issue of hunger, but also an issue of instability,” she said, citing recent protests against soaring food prices in dozens of countries. In these areas of the world, one child is dying every 15 seconds from a water-related illness and 2.3 billion people are living without basic sanitation. Water, the most essential ingredient next to air, which the human body needs to survive, simply does not exist for these people. Living Water International Canada is asking all Canadians to change the world. For less than a cup of coffee, you can change one life at a time. Please click here to DONATE now! For further information, please call:
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