Implications of Global Climatic Change on Water and Food Security

C. Ringler et al. (eds), Global Change: Impacts on Water and Food Security, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-04615-5_3, © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010 Abstract Water availability, access, and use has ensured food and livelihood security for millions. In the future, food and livelihood security may be challenged due to global environmental changes, particularly global climatic changes, that evidence has gradually shown to be appearing. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected that the global mean surface temperature will rise by 1.4–5.8°C by 2100 due to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Climate variability is also projected to increase, leading to uncertainty in the onset of monsoons and more frequent extreme weather events, such as more severe droughts and floods. These environmental changes are known to affect all aspects of the hydrological cycle, which in turn may alter the balance between food demand and supply in time and space in many parts of the world. Regions such as South Asia and Africa are expected to be particularly vulnerable to these environmental changes due to their large population, predominance of agriculture, and limited resource base. The potential impact of climatic changes on the quality of fruits, vegetables, cereals and medicinal plants can have a negative impact on emerging trade opportunities for these commodities in many countries. To ensure future water and food security, greater attention is now needed on adaptations to climatic change, which calls for increased diversification, improved land use and natural resource management policies, increased use of biofuels, improved risk management through early warning systems and crop insurance, and wastewater recycling in agriculture.