One of the bleakest findings in the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published last week, is the conclusion that climate-resilient development is increasingly out of range in some regions if global temperatures rise above 2C. And this challenge will be even more difficult to overcome with each subsequent incremental increase in warming.
A warmer world would exacerbate the climate injustices that already exist today in the least developed and vulnerable countries of the South. These countries and communities have historically contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions, which have already raised temperatures by 1.1°C, yet they are at the forefront of climate impacts.
An increase of 2°C would mean that primary sectors such as agriculture would become less and less resistant to extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, undermining food, nutrition and long-term economic security in many parts of the world. The consequences could be 80 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Central America are at risk of starvation by 2050, also increasing the risk of displacement.
The grim IPCC warning should therefore be an urgent call to accelerate agricultural innovation on two counts.
At the same time, frontline countries need more and better ways to adapt to the new climate realities to keep food on the table and clean, sustainable solutions that limit emissions and ensure that such adaptation remains possible. Both are critical to keeping the possibility of climate justice alive and must be implemented through context-specific policies.
The new report comes at a time of global stocktaking of both climate action And food systems. It is both a status update and a warning for the future. Climate change is already impacting farmers around the world, with about half of the world’s population experiencing severe water scarcity at least part of the year, partly due to climatic factors.
But it hits hardest those who have emitted the least and who are least equipped to adapt – particularly small farmers in the South. As the sector most exposed to climate, agriculture, especially in developing countries, is in urgent need of integrated solutions that can minimize environmental impacts, support adaptation and reduce inequalities.
Still alone 1.7 percent of climate finance in 2020 has supported the world’s hundreds of millions of small farmers. If the international community does not step up climate finance for food systems to correct this imbalance, more people will go hungry.
The good news is that governments, development donors and philanthropic foundations don’t have to wait for breakthrough solutions to invest in this sector. Many already exist or are in development.
Agricultural innovations provide opportunities to adapt to extremes such as droughts, floods and heat waves, while also delivering up to 30 percent of the urgent emissions reductions needed to limit the temperature rise to 1.5°C, a threshold the world is likely to reach within will reach in the next decade.
For example, scientists are testing climate-resistant varieties of staple crops such as rice that can both thrive in extreme conditions and reduce agricultural emissions. There is some evidence that direct-seeded rice leads to a third less water and emits up to 90 percent less methane, all with the same yields.
Similarly, research has shown that an improved grass variety can increase soil carbon storage while reducing nitrous oxide emissions to offset the climate impact of livestock. Koronivia grass, which is native to Africa, can also grow on marginal lands, meaning farmers can use degraded soils to sustain livestock farming even when food crops cannot grow.
And technologies like solar powered irrigation pumps that enable farmers to sell excess solar energy back to the grid could replace high-emission diesel pumps while discouraging overconsumption of groundwater. A huge and growing one suite of agricultural innovations exists to give developing countries the best chance of maintaining food security in the face of crippling climate extremes.
While such technological innovations are an important part of the solution, the IPCC report also highlights the importance of inclusive institutions and policies to ensure that the most affected communities have a voice in decisions that affect their lives. Technologies deployed without sufficient understanding of local contexts and constraints can lead to counterproductive results.
The question now is how to scale up these innovations fast enough to withstand the climate extremes that are already inevitable, while keeping even worse outcomes at bay by reducing emissions around the world.
Without rapid, deep and sustained mitigation by the highest emitting economies, adaptation alone will not be enough.
The latest IPCC report should be the starting point for urgent, comprehensive action at the global level. Success in climate-proofing food systems would not only enable all of humanity to cope with the impacts of rising temperatures, but would also create the conditions for greater equity and climate justice through climate resilience.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial view of Al Jazeera.