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Dec 6, 2023
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Uploaded by zellarscherelle
Cherelle Zellars
11/12/2023
Professor: Royal-Smith
Solutions to global issues
The Impact of Climate Change on Food Security
Let’s talk about the impact of climate change on food security in the country of Belize. Belize, a developing nation, is a land filled with mountains, swamps, and tropical jungles located south of
the Yucatan Peninsula. The country produces 60% of its food supply, with 40% being imported, while its economy is dependent upon exports of seasonal agriculture such as bananas and sugarcane. Belize is majorly dependent on itself for food and other resources, producing commodities like sugarcane and bananas, which are used as exports to support the economy, making it heavily dependent on its country's resources to survive throughout the year (UNFCCC). Since this agricultural production is seasonal, the effects of global warming and climate change will leave this nation vulnerable to food insecurity. In recent years, it has been reported that Belize is suffering from growing rates of food insecurity. In this paper, I will discuss the differences between global warming and climate change, why we should pay attention to the factors causing climate change, and how developing nations, such as Belize, would be affected in the wake of increasing global temps. I’ll also mention the scrutiny.
What does it all mean when first considering climate change and global warming? Climate change refers to an increase in unpredictable or general changes in weather patterns over a period within a given region (NASA, 2023). Climate change has many causes, one of which is global warming. Global warming refers to the increase in global temperatures over a given period. One of the many causes of global warming is the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere produced by humans, with developed countries like the US and China being some of the main producers (NRDC). Greenhouse gases would be things like carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide; these gases occur in the environment naturally but have been greatly exaggerated
after the Industrial Revolution. Some noted effects that global warming has on the earth are things like rising sea levels, melting ice in the poles, and climate change, which alludes to extreme weather like hurricanes, droughts, floods, etc. (NASA,2023). Climate change and global warming are commonly misused in place of each other, but a very important distinction is that global warming has to do with the earth’s temperatures, and it can be the cause of climate change. Climate change is when the earth has different weather patterns than what is normally predicted, this can be caused by global warming. The terms are often used as synonyms because when talking about one, you would inevitably discuss the other due to their cause-and-
effect relationship, and because humans can control their contribution to global warming which would have a domino effect. Another reason why these two terms are often confused is because they are both a change in weather and climate.
There have been many projections that an increase in global warming would cause climate change so great, that earth would start to become uninhabitable. While extreme, the projections mentioned, the dreaded 2-degree threshold, look to be consistent across the scientific community. NASA alluded to the 2-degree projections as a “critical threshold” that, if passed, would lead to extreme droughts in the hotter areas of the world due to hotter global temps, unpredictable storms, rises in sea levels, and many more dangers (NASA,2023). News sources such as PBS and CNN cover topics echoing the same concerns and conclusions about the 2-degree threshold. However, CNN has also published data stating that the threshold had been temporarily passed with the absence of the predicted uninhabitable weather (CNN). Furthermore, both studies and many more online publications mention emissions reduction as one of many preventative measures when discussing climate change. In short, the studies
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mentioned are somewhat credible and are used to justify funding and other government programs put in place to reduce the effects of climate change I say somewhat credible because it seems that the predictions might be a little more extreme than what will occur. Now that we’ve cleared up the differences between climate change and global warming and mentioned the dangers of continuing to ignore the problem of global warming, we can look at what kinds of dangers a nation like Belize may encounter in the wake of climate change. As mentioned earlier, the people of Belize rely on the nation’s natural resources to provide most of their food, and a threat like climate change would make it more difficult for the nation. Climate change can be defined as unpredictable weather patterns, including more severe storms, rising sea levels, and droughts. In a nation that imports 40% of its resources, climate change introduces famine and a compromised water supply. Over the years, since the 1930’s, the global
temp in Belize has risen about 1 degree, and the nation is already experiencing some effects from this (Climate Change Knowledge Portal, 2021). The water in Belize has seen the most change, with rising sea levels, coral bleaching, rising sea temperatures, and flooding (IMF, 2018).
The land effects include more intense tropical storms, intense and unpredictable hurricanes, strong winds, and damage to agriculture from the extreme winds and hurricanes. How does this
relate to food security, you ask? Since the nation imports 40% of its food only and relies on its natural resources for the remaining 60%, these changes in the weather can have devastating effects. Agriculture will be destroyed, and coastal conditions will worsen, causing an even more significant effect on the nation and its people. Their exports will decrease, causing catastrophic economic effects and many other problems. Since the nation is a tropical one, it also provides home to an abundance of marine life. Their Barrier Reef Reserve System has seen tremendous
change, which has caused the people of Belize to overharvest marine resources, causing even more strain (UNESCO).
While there exists a global effort to aid in the reduction of global temps and the effects of climate change, it has been noted that there are some government agencies that do not disclose activities with transparency or accountability regarding funds being loaned out to aid in
food insecurity. The concerns have been widely expressed but have been answered with initiatives that broaden the communication spectrum. Examples of this broad communication included joint statements put out by the International Monetary Fund, The World Bank, and The
World Trade Organization. UNICEF goes beyond transparency by explaining where money is being spent in a public financial document, claiming that 90 percent of the money donated goes
to the intended cause. While there have been some noted scandals with the IMF and UNICEF regarding the misappropriation of funds, further investigation proves that these agencies are committed to decreasing the food insecurity crisis in the world. For example, the IMF has mentioned open channels of communication to various government agencies, putting out statements and publishing reports as part of their commitment to transparency. As for my position on this matter, there are imperfect humans wherever you go. I do believe that there is corruption in some of these agencies that misuse funds that should go to helping the changes in
the developing nations, but just as there is corruption, there are also people looking to do right and figure out how to minimize misappropriation of funds wherever possible. The IMF has enacted anti-corruption policies for their organization, and both the IMF and UNICEF have been investigated to understand how the money is being used.
In conclusion, I’ve discussed the differences between global warming and climate change, how climate change could affect the developing nation of Belize, and the misuse of aid meant to help developing countries stay food secure. Global warming is one of the causes of climate change, this trickles down to climate change affecting the developing nations' food supply as they depend mostly on their land to provide for them. Belize, for instance, is already starting to feel the effects of climate change, with coral bleaching and rising sea levels contributing to their growing food insecurity problem. I also discussed how government agencies, while helpful, have undergone scrutiny for misappropriation of funds specifically dedicated to helping the food insecurity issues in developing countries. The agencies in question
and many others have been investigated and have enacted policies to combat corruption and redirect the focus to helping developing nations with the issue of rising temps. Hopefully, this information can factor into decisions made regarding prioritizing climate change in developing nations.
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https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/Belize_Case_Study.pdf
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101#prevention
https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/belize/climate-data-historical
https://climate.nasa.gov/what-is-climate-change/
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/08/27/world-bank-
strengthens-agriculture-food-security-
belize#:~:text=World%20Bank%20Provides%20US%248,and%20Food%20Security%20i
%20Belize
https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/Belize_Case_Study.pdf
https://whc.unesco.org/en/canopy/belize/
https://www.unfoodsystemshub.org/docs/unfoodsystemslibraries/national-
pathways/belize/21_7_23_belize-national-pathway_english.pdf?sfvrsn=4516f570_2
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101#warming
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/20/climate/2-degree-warming-limit-record-copernicus-
climateint/index.html#:~:text=The%20threshold%20was%20crossed%20just,in%20some
%20cases%20impossible%20%E2%80%94%20to
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change