Global Warming to cause Global Hunger, says WWF
Finally, irrefutable scientific proof that humans are causing drastic climate change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued their Fourth Assessment Report on the underlying science of climate change. IPCC has concluded that humans are the main culprits for atmospheric greenhouse gas build-up.
Global Effects
These gases emanate from burning fossil fuels, unwise agricultural practices and extensive, unsustainable land-use. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are now at the highest in 650,000 years - prompting scientists to link this with the worsening global warming crisis.
Left unabated, this may warm the Earth by as much as 6.3°C in the next century alone. If this happens, it will spell catastrophe for the planet. WWF, the global conservation organization, believes that a worldwide temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius may be sufficient to spawn a rash of profound biological changes that will affect all life on the planet. We can stop it - but we must start now.
Among the major global effects confirmed by the IPCC are the following: Arctic temperatures increased at almost twice the global average, Arctic sea ice has shrunk by about 3% per decade, significant drying trends have been observed in many places and extreme weather patterns are becoming more frequent.
The Philippine Situation
Communities in both developed and developing countries are already suffering from these impacts, and small island nations, such as the Maldives and Tuvalu are planning evacuations because of the serious threat of rising sea levels. The Philippines is no exception.
Last year alone, the country was subjected to a slew of destructive storms, floods and droughts. Material damage ran into the billions. The human toll was far greater. Massive waves swept away thousands of homes in Tawi-Tawi, Mindanao and the Visayas. Closer to the capital, EDSA’s impermeable billboards lay toppled. And in our very own backyards, centuries-old trees were ripped apart. Currently the country experiences abnormal weather in the form of a cold spell. PAGASA data indicates that extreme weather events have been increasing here over the last four years.
WWF has been working to stop and eventually reverse the worsening effects of climate change in the Philippines and throughout the world.
Immediate Action Needed
Raf Senga, WWF Climate Change Manager says, “The government must take this opportunity for immediate and positive action to avert the damaging consequences of climate change. Mitigation is only one part of the equation. An adaptation response should be crafted and set in place without delay. Extreme weather is not some future forecast – it is happening here, now. If we are to make it through this with minimal damage to our country – our government must act now."
Rather than spending scarce resources in a never-ending cycle to repair damage, WWF calls for a policy of prevention - a proactive and strategic solution that can effectively deal with the increasing global temperatures caused by rising carbon dioxide levels in the environment.
Lack of Food“Food scarcity is a real danger,” says WWF CEO Lory Tan. “40 million Filipinos rely on the sea for food. Coral bleaching, algal blooms and marine acidification brought about by global warming will definitely take its toll on our declining fisheries.”
Rice too, might be in short supply. Tan says, “It takes 4700 litres of water to produce a kilo of rice. We face a drought this 2007. No water, no rice. No rice - no food.”
Climate Change is here. There is no longer any doubt. The challenge we face is to help reverse the trends humankind has created over one hundred years, in the next decade. We are all going to have pay for it, sooner or later. Science seems to indicate that, if we act decisively, collectively and soon, we can still manage global climate. The sooner our nation acts on this, the cheaper it will be. We cannot afford to wait.
For more information, please contact:
Raf Senga
Manager, Climate & Energy Program, WWF-Philippines
rsenga@wwf.org.ph
Gregg Yan
Media Officer, WWF-Philippines
920-7923/26/31, 0916-715-0684
gyan@wwf.org.ph
December 23rd 2017, 4:01 pm by James307
Subject: Global Warming and Hunger 
