Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability

31 March 2014. Yokohama, Japan. The report of the second working group of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), dealing with impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, and offering new insights into key risks due to climate change, was released following the 10th Session of Working Group II (WGII-10) which was held from 25 to 29 March 2014 in Yokohama, Japan. At the Session, the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (WGII AR5) was approved and the underlying scientific and technical assessment accepted. (Volume 1: global and sectoral aspects ; Volume 2: Regional aspects).

Download Regional report Africa 4.01 MB



“Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change,” IPCC chair Rajendra Pachauri warned.

Christopher Field, the co-chair of the second working group, added: “We are not in an era where climate change is some kind of a future hypothetical. We live in a world where the impacts of climate change that have already occurred are widespread and consequential ... There is no question that we live in a world that is already altered by climate change.”
Professors John R. Porter (second left) 
and John Morton (fourth left) from 
the University of Greenwich’s Natural Resources 
Institute (NRI) in Yokohama. Professors 
John R. Porter and John Morton were members 
of the writing team for the overall summaries 
in the report, as well as Coordinating Lead 
Authors of chapters on food 
security and rural livelihoods respectively.  See
NRI Experts contribute to UN climate change report

The report highlights many global shifts that climate change has already caused. It says that changing rainfall and melting snow and ice are affecting water resources in many regions. Glaciers continue to shrink, affecting run-off and water resources downstream. Permafrost is thawing. And wheat and maize yields have fallen in many regions.

The report also repeats warnings about shifts in species’ migratory ranges and the threats this may pose to food security. And it raises concerns about increased human displacement and resulting conflicts.

Related:
3 April 2014. London."Agriculture growth, jobs, food security and climate: Taking action in response to IPCC" was a high-level discussion in response to the latest findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The objective was to examine the implications of the IPCC findings for agricultural growth and development, jobs and food security, and identify actions and options for moving forward in agriculture, particularly with respect to investing in smallholder farmers.

The meeting, which is organized by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank, global risk adviser Willis, the International Sustainability Unit, and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID), focused on the implications of the new IPCC report. The much-anticipated document raises fresh concerns for food security and farming, especially in tropical regions like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The discussion highlighted opportunities for adapting food systems to changing climates.

Published on 10 Apr 2014

The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security held a conference in London in response to the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report on impacts of climate change. The main focus of the conference was actions for achieving agriculture growth, jobs and food security, especially for smallholder farmers.


Speakers in the first part of the conference were:

  • Justin Mundy, Director, 'The Prince's Charities' International Sustainability Unit
  • Pramod Aggarwal, CCAFS Regional Program Leader for South Asia, IPCC author (AR4) and IPCC reviewer (AR5)
  • Christine Allen, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Christian Aid
  • Michel Mordansini, Vice President, International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD)

Moderator of the conference was David Howlett, Climate Change and Livelihoods Adviser, Department for International Development (DFID).

In the second part of the conference a panel discussion on 'What are the game changers in securing food security under climate change?' was taking place.


Participating in the panel were:

  • Rowan M. Douglas, Chairman of the Willis Research Network, Willis 
  • Ruth Davis, Political Director, Greenpeace UK 
  • Gerry Boyle, Head of Advocacy, CARE International 
  • Mike Warmington, Microfinance Partnerships Manager, One Acre Fund 
  • Christof Walter, Independent Consultant 
  • Moderator was Anya Sitaram, Journalist and Broadcaster. 
Closing remarks was held by Camilla Toulmin, Director, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Lynne Featherstone, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for International Development (DFID). Moderator of the conference was David Howlett, Climate Change and Livelihoods Adviser, Department for International Development (DFID).

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