Writing Assignment

Week Assignment – The Impact of Climate Change on Food Security

Overview

The United Nations (UN) has hired you as a consultant, and your task is to assess the impact that global warming is expected to have on population growth and the ability of societies in the developing world to ensure the adequate security of their food supplies.

Case Assessment

As the world’s population nears 10 billion by 2050, the effects of global warming are stripping some natural resources from the environment. As they diminish in number, developing countries will face mounting obstacles to improving the livelihoods of their citizens and stabilizing their access to enough food. The reason these governments are struggling even now is that our climate influences their economic health and the consequent diminishing living standards of their peoples. Climate changes are responsible for the current loss of biodiversity as well as the physical access to some critical farming regions. As such, these changes in global weather patterns diminish agricultural output and the distribution of food to local and international markets. These difficulties will become even more significant for these countries as the Earth’s climate changes for the worse. Temperatures are already increasing incrementally, and polar ice caps are melting, so the salient question is: what does this suggest for developing societies?

The issue before the developing world is not its lack of food, but rather how to gain access to food. Simply put, changes in our climate are affecting the global food chain, and hence, the living standards of entire populations. Added to this is the fact that food is not getting to where it is needed in time to prevent hunger or starvation. In many developing countries, shortages are due to governments’ control over distribution networks rather than an insufficient supply of food itself. In effect, these governments are weaponizing food by favoring certain ethnic or religious groups over others. When added to dramatic climate changes that we are experiencing even now, the future for billions of poor people looks increasingly dim.

Instructions

You are to write a minimum of a 5-page persuasive paper for the UN that addresses the following questions about the relationship between atmospheric weather patterns and food security in the developing world:

1. Climate change and global warming are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same phenomenon. What are the differences between the two concepts and what leads to the confusion between them?

2. In 1900, the average global temperature was about 13.7° Celsius (56.7° Fahrenheit) (Osborn, 2021), but as of 2020, the temperature has risen another 1.2°C to 14.9°C (58.9°F). According to the Earth and climate science community, if the Earth’s surface temperature rises another 2°C (3.6°F), we will suffer catastrophic weather patterns that, among other things, will raise sea levels, cause widespread droughts and wildfires, result in plant, insect, and animal extinctions, and reduce agricultural productivity throughout the world (Mastroianni, 2015 and Lindsey & Dahlman, 2020). How much credibility do you place in these projections? Why?

3. There is no question that the Earth’s food sources are threatened by changes in its weather patterns, but what specific challenges does climate change pose to the food security of people in the developing world?

4. There is currently a debate among some multinational lending agencies like the International Monetary Fund, UNICEF, and AID over the financial support for food security has been misused by recipient government officials. On the other hand, U.S. authorities insist that misuse of its assistance is not occurring because it has strict monitoring oversight in place. What is your position on this matter? Is there evidence that financial assistance to developing governments is being widely misused by government officials?

Guidelines

5. In order to earn full credit, your paper must be divided into at least four full pages of content (one page to address each of the four questions above), and include at least a one-half page introduction and a one-half page conclusion – making a minimum total of five full pages of text.

6. You must use at least seven credible sources (excluding Wikipedia, dictionaries, and encyclopedias) that are appropriate for the subjects under discussion.

7. You must use only double-spacing and not place extra spacing between paragraphs or section headings.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is as follows:

8. Evaluate the impacts that climate changes are having on the growth of global populations and the security of their food sources.

References

1. Liz Osborn. 2021. History of Changes in the Earth's Temperature. https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/changes-in-earth-temperature.php

2. Brian Mastroianni. 2015. Why 2 degrees are so important. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paris-un-climate-talks-why-2-degrees-are-so-important

3. Rebecca Lindsey and LuAnn Dahlman. 2020. Climate change global temperature. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature

4. Anita. NHD - Senior Group Documentary. 2010.  The Green Revolution: Waging A War Against Hunger . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HucSCNQ01X4

5. NPR. January 6, 2018.  The U.N.'s Food Aid Shortages . https://www.npr.org/2018/01/06/576197696/the-u-n-s-food-aid-shortages

6. P. C. Kesavan. November 25, 2018. Modern Technologies for Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security.

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COURSE RESOURCES - Required Resources

Kristen A. Hite. 2021. Global Issues: An Introduction. SOC450 Wiley 6th edition textbook available at https://www.strayerbookstore.com

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. December 22, 2016.  Overpopulation – The Human Explosion Explained . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsBT5EQt348

Crash Course. November 19, 2012.  Human Population Growth - Crash Course Ecology #3 . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8dkWQVFAoA

Understanding Climate Change. May 29, 2016.  Climate Change and Global Food Security: Prof David Battisti . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YToMoNPwTFc&feature=youtu.be&t=510

Cambridge University. July 30, 2012.  The Future of Energy?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz_L6KuqvFI

The Rockefeller Foundation. No date.  Extreme Poverty is #Solvable . https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/video/extreme-poverty-solvable/

United Nations. 2015.  The Millennium Development Goals Report . https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2015_MDG_Report/pdf/MDG%202015%20rev%20(July%201).pdf

Anita. NHD - Senior Group Documentary. 2010.  The Green Revolution: Waging A War Against Hunger . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HucSCNQ01X4

NPR. January 6, 2018.  The U.N.'s Food Aid Shortages . https://www.npr.org/2018/01/06/576197696/the-u-n-s-food-aid-shortages

Wonder World. July 9, 2017.  1000W Rust Cleaning Laser - Removes Rust Effortlessly . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACGSzBXKONo

Locogen. December 4, 2015.  Locogen Wind Turbine Construction Timelapse . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBbBh5xZ1gQ

P. C. Kesavan. November 25, 2018.  Modern Technologies for Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security . http://libdatab.strayer.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=133205891&site=eds-live&scope=site

United States Environmental Protection Agency. No date.  Chemicals Used on Land | EPA's Report on the Environment (ROE) . https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/chemicals-used-land

TEDx Talks. April 30, 2015.  Global Pandemic - Air Pollution | Romain Lacombe | TEDxAthens . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKBVwX8dVhI

World Bank. September 20, 2018.  What a Waste 2.0: Everything You Should Know About Solid Waste Management . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSm4GG2VrU

TRT World. October 20, 2017.  Roundtable: Are Pesticides Necessary for Food Production?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWCREZ0UPIg

Supplemental Resources and Resources for Case Studies

Web Pages, Articles, and Government Sources

TEDx Talks. January 3, 2013.  Overpopulation Facts - The Problem No One Will Discuss: Alexandra Paul at TEDxTopanga . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNxctzyNxC0

Joshua Busby. 2018.  Warming World: Why Climate Change Matters More Than Anything Else .

P. C. Kesavan. November 25, 2018.  Modern Technologies for Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security .

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United States.  The State of Food Security and Nutrition Around the World . http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/

Chandrakala Ganesh. 2018.  Climate Change, Public Health, and Policy: A California Case Study .

Douglas Gollin. March/April 2016.  Hunger Games .

Anne Holland. July 2018.  Mumbai: A Case Study of the Challenges, and Potential Solutions, of Providing Housing and Basic Services in a Megacity of the Developing World

Christina L. Lyons. October 13, 2018.  Climate Change .

Sean Palfrey. March 20, 2017.  Curbing Population Growth and Climate Change . https://www.huffpost.com/entry/curbing-population-growth-and-climate-change_b_58d06fede4b0e0d348b34710

The World Bank. October 2016.  Commission on Global Poverty . http://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/commission-on-global-poverty

Wayan Vota. April 6, 2017.  How Technology Can Reduce Hunger and Improve Food Security . https://www.ictworks.org/how-technology-can-reduce-hunger-and-improve-food-security/#.X9uPYdhKjb0

Jennifer Weeks. January 16, 2015.  Global Population Growth .

Bruce E. Johansen. 2015.  Eco-Hustle! Global Warming, Greenwashing and Sustainability