At the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, governments will decide whether to expand the role that agriculture plays within global climate talks. The fate of these proposals will determine whether agriculture will be used by polluters to offset their emissions and shift the burden of greenhouse gas reduction to developing countries. The Cancun meeting has the potential to further marginalize small-scale producers and their rights to land and livelihoods and could also lead to perverse incentives to further intensify industrial agriculture practices.
The alternative is for the climate talks to become another opportunity for governments to commit to a new global action plan for climate change solutions that integrate equity, food security and democratic participation and to work together for commitments on greenhouse gas emissions reductions, a system of climate finance and verification measures to hold countries accountable.
IATP has released a new series of papers to coincide with the climate talks focusing on challenges and solutions for agriculture and climate change and emphasizing the unique role agriculture plays in the world. The series covers issues related to agricultural practices, climate finance and adaptation strategies. Below is our press release and links to each of the papers in our series.
-Press Release: Governments at Cancun Climate Talks Need to Support Local Solutions. Announcing our new Climate and Agriculture Series.
-Following Civil Society's Lead on Climate Solutions. By Ben Lilliston. Summary of why civil society organizations are an important voice for climate change solutions and provides a brief explanation of our new series.
-Agriculture in the Climate Talks: Looking Beyond Cancun. By Shefali Sharma. Analyzes how agriculture and food security are treated within the UNFCCC negotiating text, covering issues around mitigation, adaptation and carbon markets.
-Financing Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change: A Modest Beginning. By Steve Suppan. Proposes concrete short-term options for financing climate change adaptation in developing countries.
-Women at the Center of Climate-friendly Approaches to Agriculture and Water. By Shiney Varghese. Profiles the agricultural practices of the Tamilnadu Women's Collective in India that both mitigate and adapt to climate change.
-Grain Reserves: A Smart Climate Adaptation Policy. By Sophia Murphy. Makes the connection between efforts to ensure food security and climate change adaptation.
-A Farm Bill for a Cooler Planet. By Julia Olmstead and Jim Kleinschmit. Examines how the U.S. Farm Bill could support practices that both mitigate and adapt to climate change.
-The New Climate Debt: Carbon Trading Wrapped in a Green Bond Proposal. By Steve Suppan. Analyzes a climate finance proposal by the International Emissions Trading Association that would enrich global carbon traders.
IATP is sending six staff members to the United Nations climate talks and is hosting an official side event on climate-friendly agriculture, as well as speaking at a number of civil society workshops.
