The Adaptation and Agriculture theme day at COP27 has a lot of sessions which is possibly an indication of how urgent these issues are to the global south. We in the north are not unaffected, but our comparative wealth and distance from the harshest climate impacts definitely cushion us.
Father God, forgive us that we often fail to see or to care the damage our over consumption is doing to your world and to our unseen brothers and sisters in faraway places. Forgive us that we often don’t care enough to act. Give us your heart, your eyes to stir us to make small and large changes that ease poverty and bring life to those being most harmed by climate change.
Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides, we thank you for the abundance of your earth, so perfectly made, and provisioned with enough to support all. We see how we have failed to share your generous provision fairly, so that now some have much, and others have very little, and for some, even the little they have is being threatened by the impacts of climate change.
Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals, we pray for our unseen sisters and brothers in faraway places who must change the way they live just to live. Equip them with skills, equip them with resources and give them your hope and perseverance as they find new ways to live and work. And stir our hearts to make practical changes that have consequences on our climate, may we be softened to the need to change.
It was a challenge to find Bible passages that speak directly on adaptation. We suggest the two that follow as a reminder that God intends there to be plenty for all but that we need to examine ourselves and consider whether we need to act to help others on their journey to adapt.
Isaiah 41: 17-20 (NIV)
The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
James 1: 22-27 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
In some parts of the world the impacts of climate change are so severe that life cannot be lived as 'normal': in order to survive, communities have to adapt.
The Paris Agreement on climate change acknowledges this in its global goal on adaptation which aims to enhance the capacity to adapt and the resilience to cope with changes, so reducing vulnerability.
This is a vast area. It includes the need for changing agricultural practices, protecting coastal areas and the livelihoods of people who work there, considering disaster risk reduction and building resilience into food systems.
It requires provision for long term irreversible changes and shorter term disasters. Early action and early warning systems can help reduce impacts but these need to be established in developing countries.
The global north is not untouched by these issues with climate change bringing more floods, droughts and largescale fires from which infrastructure and people need to be protected; and we all live in a time of increased food insecurity.
However, in the global south the issues often are literally about life and death.
There's a lot on the internet and in the news that highlights how climate changes have forced adaptation on a small scale involving just a few individuals, to a much large scale involving institutions and governments. Here's a sample:
Zanzibari women grow sea sponges in response to climate change.
Examples of urban drainage solutions to reduce the impact of flooding.
The UN Environment Programmes has assisted over 70 projects on climate change adaptation in over 50 countries. There are details here.
The Thames Barrier providing flood protection.
Using goats to reduce the potential for forest fires
With a touch of paint, India's women slum dwellers battle extreme heat
A quick tour of adaptations to climate change around the world.
FAST - Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation Initiative: Official launch of the FAST (Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation) initiative which aims to increase climate finance contributions for agriculture and food systems.
iCAN - Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition: a multistakeholder, multisectoral initiative to encourage collaboration and action on the interactions between health, nutrition and climate change, with a view to reducing health risks such as stunting, wasting and anaemia. The objective is to raise international awareness about malnutrition and urge state and non-state actors to pledge increased investment and support.
Shaping the way forward on Adaptation Action and Support: A ministerial session focused on developing a comprehensive adaptation monitoring process and raising more funds for adaptation initiatives.
How to avert, minimize, and address Loss and Damage to infrastructure (Focus on Early Action and Early Warning Systems): The role of artificial intelligence and data analytics to reduce the aftermath of droughts and floods in countries exposed to climate change. A key objective will be to raise additional funds for the development of early warning systems in developing countries.
Adaptation Technologies: how technology can better server in adapting to climate change.
From Malabo to Sharm ElSheikh: Enhancing climate resilience and agriculture sustainability to attain food security in Africa: highlighting the measures taken in African and Arab countries since the 2014 Malabo Declaration where African Union Heads of State and Government recommitted to provide effective leadership to (by 2025) end hunger, triple intra-African trade in agricultural goods and services, to enhance resilience of livelihoods and production systems and to ensure that agriculture contributes significantly to poverty reduction. The session also aims to explore the findings of scientific research and technological innovation (specifically selected drought and heat-resistant crops) and to explore emerging data science that could assist in adaptive decision-making processes.
Innovative tools by the private sector in Agriculture and Food Systems: Consideration of the role of private sector and multinational telecommunications companies in the provision of innovative tools in agricultural and food systems.
Finance for Climate Smart Agriculture and De-risking the Agriculture Sector: Opportunities to increase investment finance for Climate-smart agriculture and the possibilities of de-risking rural and agricultural finance initiatives to increase affordable finance for smallholder farmers.
Food Security, Nutrition and Climate Change: Discussions on the current state of food security and nutrition in developing countries and methods to scale up cost-effective interventions and programs, and opportunities to attract additional funds for bilateral and multilateral initiatives.
KJWA Ministerial Panel: The Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) ministerial panel allowing discussions on the KJWA from the perspectives of developed and developing countries. [The Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) is a decision under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that recognizes the unique potential of agriculture in tackling climate change.]
AIM for C Ministerial: A session with the aim of building on the leading roles of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in enhancing the agricultural sector. The UAE works with the United States on a joint initiative (Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate) that seeks to address climate change and global hunger by uniting participants to significantly increase investment in, and other support for, climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation over five years (2021 - 2025).
Food Security - COP27 roundtable notes
