Mounting Threat Of Climate Change To Water, Food Security: Report

Doha: Climate change is no longer a transient crisis that can be easily surmounted, but rather it has evolved into a profoundly complex and perilous global challenge.

The Earth is experiencing unprecedented climate changes posing significant perils to humanity both now and in the future, encompasses all aspects of life, from public health and the Economy to food and water security.

The rising concerns about the dearth of water and food globally due to climate change-induced effects have been on the agenda of the International conference on Water and Food Security in the Face of Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities for Resilience, currently organized by the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) in Doha.

The conference highlights innovative solutions for the challenges related to water and food security arising from climate change, in response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 2 that entails ending hunger, and goal 6 which declares the importance of achieving clean water and sanitation for all, with goal 3 centering on climate action.

The conference convenes at a time while the world strives to build alliances for adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change-induced fallout that poses a significant challenge to SDGs which received the global unanimity in 2015.

An UN-published report revealed that approximately 9.1 percent of the global population suffers from chronic undernutrition, equating to 733 million people, marking a 36 percent increase compared to a decade ago, which reflects a slowdown in global efforts to combat hunger.

Global water security is alarming, with over 4 billion people facing severe scarcity for at least a month each year.

A report published by the 2024 Global Commission on the Economics of Water indicates half the population lives in water-scarce regions, and by 2030, freshwater demand will surpass supply by 40 percent, with experts confirming that the dearth of water is a prime challenge of climate change, given the rising temperature and water levels in seas and oceans.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Professor and Associate Director, Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, Jeffrey J. McDonnell, highlighted that there is a close nexus between climate changes and crises related to water and food globally.

In terms of water, prof. McDonnell stated that there is a problem that raises debate among experts at the UDST-hosted conference, representing in the surge of water cycle and the fact that rainfall and floods are increasing in both intensity and volume simultaneously with the drought waves, implying that it is a dual problem of both excess water and water scarcity.

Normally, this issue requires novel solutions related to greater efficiency in irrigation, as long as agriculture usually consumes 80 percent of water, thereby posing a profound challenge to all nations especially in the arid regions, he pointed out, adding that climate change causes adverse impact on farmers' accessibility to water, and ultimately affecting food production.

Professor of Chemical Engineering Technology at UDST, Dr. Amin Ismaili, highlighted to QNA that one of the foremost effects of climate change is the surge in storms and rainstorms, along with the number of areas suffering from water scarcity, stressing that those factors significantly affect agricultural activities, thereby threatening global food security, including in the Arab region.

He added that Arab region is overwhelmed by massive pressures due to climate change-induced effects that squarely endanger water and food security, triggering urgent and proactive solutions.

Due to myriad crises and conflicts in the region compounded by climate change-induced fallout these two factors can significantly affect food and agricultural activities in Arab nations, Dr. Ismaili said, highlighting that unless there is an immediate planning for remediation tools there would be further effects in the future.

Dr. Ismaili cited numerous global remediation initiatives, but this matter requires further international cooperation provided that nations should concur in the required approach to counter climate change and its consequences on food and security.

For her part, researcher at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Lulwa Al Kuwari, underscored the importance of international partnerships in helping arid regions adopt creative solutions for climate challenges, especially with international organizations and think tanks from both private and public sectors to leverage cutting-edge technologies designed to mitigate these impacts.

By virtue of its expertise, strategic location and active role at the regional and global levels, the State of Qatar can boost these partnerships in pivoting toward resilient solutions in the face of climate change, in addition to backing global research efforts, in terms of crop production and drought resistance, or leveraging advanced cooling technologies and enduring construction materials to mitigate the impacts of extreme temperature and sandstorms, highlighted Al Kuwari.

Director of the Office of Youth and Women at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Kazuki Kitaoka, pointed out that the world is facing real challenges in the area of water and food security, which require meticulously learned efforts, stressing that youth can spearhead these efforts.
He indicated that youth are a dynamic strength that drives innovation, hoping that youth from nations can pursue an all hands-on-deck approach to forge partnerships with private and public sectors to come up with pragmatic solutions for extremely intricate challenges facing the future of water and food in the world.

Experts and researchers are well convinced of the fact that there are mounting threat of climate change to water and food security, and no nation is spared from these threats, albeit they are uneven, thereby prompting those nations to instantly respond and apply carefully learned strategies to counter these threats.

They likewise concur in the fact that urgent adaptation steps should be taken through maintaining sustainable agricultural practices, optimizing water resources management, developing effective mitigation strategies and boosting cooperation among governments, international organizations and domestic communities to ensure food and water security for all.

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