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Recent reports from both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have confirmed 2014 as the hottest year on record. Average global temperatures and sea levels are on the rise, and precipitation in crucial agricultural zones is diminishing. The world can no longer ignore these indicators—and, particularly, the connections between climate change and global food security.
The twenty-first Session
of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in
Paris November 30 to December 11, 2015. One of the largest climate
conferences ever organized, the session will bring together more than
40,000 participants, including delegates representing each country, as
well as observers and civil society members. This crucial conference
aims to create a new international agreement on climate with the goal
of keeping global warming below 2°C.
Fortunately, many innovative organizations are
already on the front lines of this challenge, developing bold new ways
to spread knowledge and sow the seeds of change for future
generations. From providing hands-on educational outreach to
influencing policy with innovative research, each of these groups has
a unique approach to connecting and engaging individuals. A dynamic
and powerful idea unites these organizations: small change in everyday
habits, mixed with effective information gathering and sharing, can
lead to big change in the long run.
To show support and solidarity for those working to find
ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change, Food Tank is
highlighting 21 organizations devoted to bringing about global change.
350 is a global network including campaigns and
organizing in 188 countries including Ghana, Peru, Brazil, Kenya,
India, and more. Their work focuses on reducing the amount of CO2 in
the atmosphere from its current level of 400 parts per million (ppm)
to below 350 ppm.
This organization connects Americans with information on
responsible practices pertaining to water, energy, and food.
Leveraging the resources and experience of the Schmidt
Family Foundation, the 11th Hour Project pushes for a new kind of
understanding in a community attuned to human impact on the natural
world.
This organization addresses the crucial agricultural and
climate-related issues in California’s farming communities. Relying on
the power of democracy for collective change, the Ag Innovations
Network encourages stakeholders to connect through shared interests
with an eye to managing collective resources, like soil and water,
more effectively.
A research program at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, this group focuses on
the interconnectivity of public health, the environment, food
production, and diet. Concentrating on environmental sustainability in
food production and the importance of systems-level change, the Center
for a Livable Future is on the cutting edge of climate change and food
systems research.
Center
for Food SafetyThe Center for Food Safety (CFS) developed
the Cool Foods Campaign to show food can be part of climate solutions.
The campaign emphasizes eating fresh, unprocessed foods; buying local
and seasonal products; choosing organic fare; eliminating industrial
meat and dairy consumption; and reducing food waste. The Center also
supports rebuilding soil to help producers mitigate and adapt to
climate change.
A collaborative research program from CGIAR
and Future
Earth, led by the International
Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), CCAFS focuses on the
interactions between agriculture and climate change. From efforts to
reduce rural poverty with innovative planting techniques to promoting
responsible use of community resources, CCAFS leverages a myriad of
research approaches and partnerships to address climate change and
agricultural issues.
This collective operates globally to increase food
security and reduce short-lived climate pollutants. The coalition
includes the governments of Bangladesh, Canada, Mexico, Ghana, Sweden,
and the United States, with support from the United Nations. Together
these partners work to reduce climate pollutants such as methane,
black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons. Other projects promote
sustainable livestock and manure management, and the development of
alternative fuels for household cooking.
Ecoagriculture Partners supports integrated landscape
management and the many benefits of climate-smart agricultural
landscapes, including food access, improved livelihoods and
biodiversity, and the production of energy, fiber, and medicine.
Through their programs, Ecoagriculture Partners trains local
stakeholders to maintain integrated landscapes and create frameworks
to mitigate climate change.
Fairtrade producers in Latin America and Africa have been
severely affected by crop diseases and heavy frost as a result of
climate change, according to Fairtrade International. In response,
Fairtade International has developed a global work plan for climate
change that focuses on supporting producers in adapting to climate
change and helping them mitigate the impacts, including carbon
reduction plans.
This organization boasts a vision for “a food secure
Africa free from hunger and poverty,” through encouragement of
strategic partnerships and ongoing policy dialogue. Through such
programs as Women Assessing Realigned Markets (WARM)—aimed at
strengthening the voice of female farmers in policy
development—FANRPAN publicizes sustainable agricultural practices that
will contribute to food security in the face of climate change in
Africa.
Governed by the core values of independence, democracy,
human rights, and sustainability, this group relies on a grassroots
approach to increase individual access to good food, clean water, and
sustainable energy. Food & Water Watch has led successful
campaigns on country-of-origin labeling, public water supply
ownership, and fracking. The organization also encourages more
accountability for wastewater and methane emissions from factory farms
and supports smarter energy solutions for small-scale sustainable
farmers.
This global network—2 million members strong—encourages
progressive approaches to environmental issues, with a focus on
building a just and healthy world. Friends of the Earth advocates for
environmentally friendly approaches to climate change and food
security through such initiatives as the Bee
Action campaign, which endorses beekeeping as part of balanced
farming, and the Good
Food, Healthy Planet program, which supports plant-based diets for
a healthier planet.
This organization takes a multifaceted approach to the
social and environmental challenges facing people and the planet. With
specific programs targeting climate change—focusing on drought
management, agriculture through the promotion of agroecological
approaches, and food justice—IATP critically examines food and
environmental policy while encouraging individuals to actively
participate in affecting change.
As a member of the CGIAR consortium, this research
institute identifies sustainable ways to tackle hunger and poverty.
Having recently published a three-book series on agriculture and
climate change throughout Africa, IFPRI’s initiatives range from
research on how climate change affects quality of health and diet
among marginalized populations to policy and advocacy initiatives for
more climate-sensitive approaches to agriculture.
This grassroots group is a network of more than 200
million farmers on the forefront of the food sovereignty movement. La
Via Campesina promotes the role of small-scale sustainable agriculture
in using climate-friendly farming practices, such as companion
planting and integrated pest management, as a way to reduce
agriculture-related climate change and strengthen the health and
wellness of communities all over the world.
Founded by Ireland’s first female president, this
organization builds strategic partnerships in security and climate
justice by promoting low-emissions agricultural practices and the
empowerment of marginalized farmers for nutritional sovereignty. The
organization has a strong focus on the role of women as changemakers,
and has long supported a people-centered vision of change throughout
the world.
This collaborative initiative from CIAT focuses on the
effects of climate change on the global food supply. With policy,
equity, and low-emissions agriculture research emphases, this
initiative applies an interdisciplinary approach to address climate
issues.
Rodale Institute conducts independent research focused on
building healthy soil through organic practices. The Institute
supports farmers and provides them the data and experience to increase
soil health and crop quality, improve yields, and sequester carbon
through regenerative organic agriculture.
Since its 1892 founding, this grassroots organization has
grown to more than 2 million members and continues to inspire
individuals to engage in a diverse array of environmental issues, from
clean energy to sustainable food. The Sierra Club recognizes and
promotes the importance of lifestyle choices in supporting
environmental sustainability.
A pool of news, media, and resources, this organization
connects people committed to a more sustainable future to information
and action initiatives. Associated with Participant
Media, the creators of the films Food Inc. and An Inconvenient
Truth, TakePart looks to start conversations and involve people in
issues of climate change and food systems in ways that lead to
immediate action.
The Union of Concerned Scientists is an advocacy alliance
of more than 400,000 citizens and scientists. This organization works
towards scientific solutions to climate, energy, and agricultural
concerns by providing independent research and linking the scientific
community to information about policy change, among other methods of
fair dissemination and publication.
This is only a small selection of organizations fighting climate
change, there are many additional worthy organizations not included
here. Which organizations do you know about? Share them with me at
Danielle@foodtank.com!
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