Crop alterations and advanced farming methods: Along with water, ensuring food security is one of the world’s top priorities to safeguard public health and avoid panic. Climate change is already dramatically affecting crop yields and reducing global supplies, making significant preparations a necessity in many of the world’s largest food-producing regions. In 2015, global hunger rates began to rise after a decade of decline, a stark reminder that consistently improving and diversifying food production methods is a matter of global importance, especially given the interconnected nature of world markets.
Example project: Farming drought-proof maize and grain – Zimbabwe: In a country that is now prone to poor harvests caused by drought, alternative crops are being utilised. Drought-resistant maize and pearl millet are gaining ground despite resistance from farmers on cultural grounds. To ease the adoption of new crops, the Zimbabwean Government is boosting price levels at which it will buy the crops from the farmers, as well as running education workshops and training sessions.
Strategic water storage solutions: With water shortage crises occurring more frequently across water-stressed regions, there is a rising need to secure vast strategic stores. Not only is storage a key issue at the national level, it needs to be paired with an emergency distribution system that is equally robust.
Example project: UAE Water Security Strategy 2036: While the UAE’s strategy consists of a wide-ranging series of plans to reduce water demand and wastage, it also has key provisions for better water storage and distribution. New strategic storage facilities continue to be constructed across the nation, continuing the trend started with the Liwa Aquifer which was completed in 2018 and holds the world’s largest reserve of 26 million cubic metres of high-quality desalinated water.
Mangrove restoration and protection: In Part 2 of this series we mentioned the crucial importance of mangroves in their role of capturing carbon and protecting marine ecosystems. However, mangroves are also a powerful tool for climate adaptation, as they have the ability to thrive even in high temperatures, high salinity (i.e.: in seawater) and under intense UV exposure. This ensures that they will remain an ‘ecosystem engineer’ capable of protecting land and sea-based wildlife even as the Earth becomes warmer. Equally importantly, they protect coastal areas from erosion, flooding and tsunamis/tidal waves by creating a living buffer zone. As our climate becomes warmer and more prone to bouts of extreme weather, this protection will be invaluable for coastal and island regions.
Example project: EbA – The Gambia: Backed by $25 million in funding from government grants and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), The Gambia is currently undertaking its largest ever national ecosystem-based adaptation project. The aim is to rehabilitate over 10,000 hectares of forests, mangroves and wildlife parks across the country.
Improved early warning systems: From wildfires to flooding, emerging threats from a more unpredictable climate are likely to give less warning and can hit communities much more severely if they are unprepared. Countries are now looking to implement detailed and diligent early warning and response plans around all likely climate-related disasters.
Example project: National Action Plan – Russia: Average temperatures in Russia are currently rising at 2.5 times the speed of the global average, making climate adaptation an even more pressing priority for the nation’s government. Russia has suffered intense flooding in Siberia and wildfires engulfed an area the size of Belgium in July 2019. The National Action Plan for the First Phase of Adaptation to Climate Change for the Period up to 2022 outlines steps for upgrading the national climate monitoring systems, while also implementing sector-specific protection plans and additional measures to safeguard vulnerable regions.
