COP28: Examining challenges and solutions for climate change’s impact on nutrition and health

07 Dec 2023 --- As international leaders and businesses meet up at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), international organizations share their concerns on the interplay between climate change, nutrition and health, highlighting actions to ensure a healthier planet and people. They call for a food system transformation that integrates climate and nutrition actions to ensure global food security.

Nutrition Insight continues its discussion with climate and nutrition experts from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). 

Claire McConnell, food and climate expert at the IISD, stresses that increasing temperatures and rapidly changing weather patterns are already reducing crop yields and the nutritional value of essential staple foods. 

“More than 42% of people globally could not afford a healthy diet in 2021,” she highlights. “Almost 30% of the global population was moderately or severely food insecure in 2022. The global population is projected to grow by 34% to 9.1 billion by 2050, requiring food production to grow by 70%.” 

She underscores that climate change already impacts food security and nutrition by harming crop yields and resulting in food price increases while growing levels of CO2 make staple crops less nutritious. 

“If we fail to invest in building resilience into our food systems, crop yields and the nutritional value of these crops will continue to decline as the frequency and severity of climate impacts increase. Sufficient, safe and nutritious food will slip beyond the reach of an ever-greater number of people.”

McConnell warns that this will likely increase the prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity, malnourishment, stunting and wasting.

Climate change is limiting water availability, driving mass migration and conflict, which exacerbates food insecurity and malnutrition.Nutrition as cornerstone of health  
Vivian Maduekeh, climate and health program coordinator at the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, emphasizes that high-quality, nutritious food is a cornerstone of health. “But profound changes in the food system over the last few decades are seriously harming human health and reducing the nutritional quality of food.”

“In numerous regions of the world, climate change is limiting water availability, driving mass migration and fuelling conflict, all of which exacerbates food insecurity and malnutrition.”

“Moreover, our industrial food systems are an alarming cause of several chronic illnesses such as diabetes, depression and heart diseases: from exposing populations to contaminants in soil, water, air and food; to mass-producing unhealthy ultra-processed foods; to forcing millions of people into poor working conditions (such as in meat packaging plants during the COVID-19 pandemic).”

Integrating climate-nutrition action 
Dr. Nancy Aburto, deputy director of the Food and Nutrition Division at the FAO, underscores that options abound to address systems that underpin good nutrition with an integrated climate-nutrition action. The FAO recently published the report “Climate Action and Nutrition,” highlighting pathways to create positive outcomes in climate and food. 

“These integrated actions can reduce malnutrition, mitigate drivers of climate change such as biodiversity loss and adapt to current conditions with one solution. This increases efficiency, provides countries with response options that can address multiple national priorities simultaneously and accelerates progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

Aburto continues that the FAO report demonstrates that systems that impact nutrition can provide meaningful responses to collaborating for climate change and malnutrition. 

“There are numerous integrated actions or response options across agri-food systems — including those that link agri-food, water, social protection and health systems — that can address climate and nutrition priorities for healthier people and a healthier planet.”

“For example, within agri-food systems, the interplay of climate and malnutrition goes beyond solely considering climate’s impact on food quantity, revealing several additional influences of climate change — such as reduced nutrient levels in foods.”

Aburto shares specific actions to do so, such as diversifying crop, animal and aquatic production while protecting genetic resources, reducing food loss and waste, promoting consumer awareness and behavior change actions, aligning policies and programs across the agri-food systems for biodiversity-climate-water-nutrition benefits and implementing food-based dietary guidelines that consider sustainability.

Making food systems more sustainable will help address the roots of hunger, improve health and safeguard biodiversity.Food system transformation 
However, Aburto stresses that potential positive impacts of actions on climate and nutrition cannot be guaranteed without a “system’s approach that enables complementary efforts such as linking diversified crops to consumers (that is all of us who eat) through sustainable public food procurement or well-functioning local and territorial markets.”

“Gender equity, inclusion and transformative actions enabling women and girls to reach their full potential is a game-changing integrated action for climate and nutrition solutions.”

Maduekeh shares this view, adding that the world requires a “wholescale food systems transformation — from farm to plate.” 

“Collectively, governments must decouple food systems from fossil fuel dependence. This must include phasing out fossil-fuel-based fertilizers, pesticides and plastics; transitioning to renewable energy for processing, cooling, drying and transporting food; supporting minimally processed, less-energy-intensive foods and plant-rich diets; investing in sustainable agricultural practices, including regenerative and agroecological farming; and encouraging the uptake of locally-grown food.” 

“Making food systems more sustainable will not only protect our environment, but it will also help address the roots of hunger, improve health, create jobs, reduce pollution and safeguard biodiversity,” Maduekeh emphasizes. 

Agricultural support 
McConnell from the IISD cautions that unsustainable, large-scale intensive agriculture “harms both our health and that of our planet.”

“It is the single largest driver of biodiversity loss, harming the very natural capital and ecosystem services upon which our food systems, health and well-being depend.”

Existing government support for agriculture should be repurposed to support nutritious and sustainable food production.As governments provide nearly US$700 billion globally to support agricultural sectors, she cautions that much of this has incentivized practices that can harm climate, environment and human health. “Fertilizer subsidies, for example, have been linked to air and groundwater pollution, as well as depleting soil health and driving greenhouse gas emissions.” 

She calls to repurpose existing government support for agriculture to “support the production of healthy, nutritious and sustainable foods, to deliver benefits for both human and planetary health.” 

Depending on the context, McConnell explains that governments could support practices such as agroforestry, intercropping, or cover crops, which help enhance biodiversity and soil health while guarding against air and water pollution. 

Fostering innovation 
Purnima Menon, senior director of food and nutrition policy at CGIAR, calls for a greater emphasis on identifying new solutions that tackle health and nutrition challenges. 

“What do we need to protect human health and nutrition even in the face of climate disruptions? How can we support better health and nutrition outcomes for the poorest and most vulnerable? How can we make health and nutrition systems resilient to climate shocks?” 

She sees great promise in fostering innovation, adding that the world urgently needs new tools to protect health and nutrition, particularly in the face of climate-related disruptions. 

“For example, CGIAR scientists developed new varieties of sweet potatoes that can not only withstand hotter, drier climates but are also biofortified with vitamin A. More than 6.8 million households are growing and eating these sweet potatoes, which have helped reduce child mortality rates by as much as 30%.”

Menon also highlights actions needed to transform the food system for healthier people and the planet. She details the importance of better understanding the needs and concerns of farmers and food producers, as each setting requires local diagnosis and response. 

CGIAR has identified several areas for action, including adapting farming practices to the environment, ensuring farmers have access to climate-resilient breeds and varieties, providing producers in the Global South with digital tools and real-time climate information and using innovative financing to support producers facing climate emergencies and helping them to adopt more sustainable approaches.

By Jolanda van Hal