Konferenzbeitrag
Climate Change, Food Security and Informatics
Vorschaubild nicht verfügbar
Volltext URI
Dokumententyp
Text/Conference Paper
Zusatzinformation
Datum
2013
Autor:innen
Zeitschriftentitel
ISSN der Zeitschrift
Bandtitel
Verlag
Shaker Verlag
Zusammenfassung
Increasing scientific evidence emphasizes the importance of addressing climate changes worldwide. While the
relative roles of human versus natural causes continue to be disputed, evolving evidence supports the hypothesis that
human activities have significantly contributed to substantial changes in climatic events, and these impacts are
expected to continue (and increase) if activity patterns remain unchanged. The extent to which human activities must
be adjusted to slow and reverse this trend remains under debate, but it is widely agreed that actions now will mitigate
climate change impacts both in the near term and into the more distant future. This point is at the core of arguments
for timely mitigation through various means to reduce the projected longer-term effects of climate change, including
impacts on food security for the burgeoning human population. Efforts to adapt to climate change are under way, and
further concerted planning and implementation strategies are needed.
This paper explores implications of climate change for global food security due to increased variability in production
year-to-year from droughts, extreme rain events and other weather-related phenomena. It addresses the shifts in
climatic zones already being experienced and related impacts on the spread of plant and animal diseases; the potential
impact of weather events on invasive pathogens and other species that threaten food production; and considerations
for food safety as a primary element of food security in both developed and developing countries. The role of
informatics in addressing private sector and public policy decision-making challenges to food security from the impacts
of climate change is discussed. The emphasis is on how informatics can be used to better manage agricultural
and natural resources for sustainable food production and to assure food security for the future.