Sustainable Food

Scientists Demand Attention to Agriculture at Copenhagen Climate Talks

by Katherine Gustafson

categories: Biodiversity, Climate, Policy, Politics, Water

Published November 28, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT

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More than 60 agricultural scientists from all over the world signed a statement last week to warn international leaders of the folly of neglecting to include agriculture as a topic of discussion at next month's UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) summit. Ignoring climate change's impact on agriculture, the scientists say, will wreak havoc on food security.

A deafening silence has characterized discussion of agriculture in preliminary meetings in preparation for the Copenhagen summit, a situation that the document's authors believe is unacceptable. "No credible or effective agreement to address the challenges of climate change can ignore agriculture and the need for crop adaptation to ensure the world's future food supplies," reads the statement.

Farmers will face new problems as the climate warms, such as noticable weather volatility, warmer temperatures on average, more frequent heatwaves, shorter growing seasons, increased salinity in irrigation water and new pests.

"We urge countries at the Copenhagen Conference to give due attention to crop diversity conservation and use as an essential element of the commitments they will make for climate change adaptation," the statement concludes.

UN Photo by Evan Schneider