Global Agriculture and Climate Change

Climate change, caused by anthropogenic activities, is a universal phenomenon across the globe. There is general consensus that combating climate change will require a set of internationally coordinated policy interventions for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions besides addressing regional or global vulnerabilities, development patterns, equity distribution, and technology transfer. Agriculture is both a victim and an abettor of climate change. Serious attention is thus required, not only to enhance its adaptation capacity but also to exploit its mitigation potential as a carbon sink. A sustainable policy shift toward enhanced food security, preservation of freshwater resources, prevention of soil degradation, and maintenance of biological diversity and ecosystems remain the hallmark of mitigation strategies. Improved adaptive capacity relative to climate-resilient agriculture needs to be integrated with global developmental paths aimed at reducing social inequalities and alleviating poverty. The United Nations' Millennium Development Goals provide an excellent backdrop for integrating adaptation and sustenance into global development polity. World essentially requires a climate closest to which all forms of life have adapted during their evolution. Deceleration of carbon emissions and a shift to a long-term and sustainable growth paradigm are essential imperatives, notwithstanding the associated economic costs. Research has shown that benefits of reducing methane emissions alone would be to the tune of US$700-US$ 5000 per metric ton, whereas the abatement costs have been estimated to be less than US$250.