Introduction
The natural world has numerous resources and biological processes that are capable of supporting life. The integrity and sustainability of these systems will depend on human activities and their willingness to conserve the natural environment. Within the past century, people in different parts of the world have experienced unique trends capable of disorienting the experiences and lives of future generations. The problems of climate change and global warming are becoming more pronounced than ever before. A proper understating of these two concepts could help more individuals identify and implement evidence-based approaches to protect the natural environment. Such an approach can help shed more light on climate change as a key predictor of food insecurity in different parts of the world. International agencies providing aid to poorer countries identify various barriers to food security, such as misappropriation of financial resources and corruption. This paper examines the nature of these predicaments and how they stand a chance of affecting populations across the globe.
Climate Change vs. Global Warming
The challenges facing the global community are diverse in nature and have the potential to disorient human life. Climate change is one of these issues capable of making planet Earth unsustainable and incapable of supporting life. Many analysts and individuals use this concept and global warming interchangeably to refer to more or less the same thing. Grossman indicates that climate change will refer to the recorded changes in most of the measures and metrics of climate within a period of around 30 years or more (1). This essential scientific approach to scientists to pinpoint noticeable pattern changes in a specific region. Some of the parameters experts consider when monitoring climatic trends include the level of precipitation, temperature trends, and recorded wind patterns (Grossman, 1). When significant weather alterations are observed, the professionals will be in a position to determine whether the predicament of climate change exists or not.
On the other hand, global warming is a phenomenon associated with the rapid increase in global temperatures. Such transformations would be recorded in different parts of the world depending on the original or known weather patterns. According to Berlie, such changes arise from the continued emission of greenhouse gases from a wide range of human activities (2). The increasing levels of gases will result in heat-trapping, thereby making it impossible for sunlight and heat to escape the atmosphere. Berlie goes further to argue that the process of burning fossil fuels is to blame for the continued challenge of global warming (2). Some of these compounds widely utilized in different parts of the world include gas, oil, and coal (Berlie, 2). The common greenhouse gases responsible for global warming include carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), methane, and water vapor (H2O).
Human beings use these two terms interchangeably because of a number of reasons. First, climate change will tend to encompass all attributes and changes recorded on planet Earth that could result in prolonged weather changes. This means that global warming contributes to the current problem of climate change. Second, the two terms would encompass dynamic transformations in biological and biochemical processes that will eventually affect the natural environment (Grossman, 1). Third, the two concepts present a cause-and-effect interaction between them. Scientists relying on them will acquire numerous ideas about the changes recorded across the globe today and present evidence-based approaches to mitigate them.
Rising Global Temperatures
Past scholars and scientists have opined that the projected rise in global temperatures could have detrimental impacts on living organisms on planet Earth. For example, experts have recorded a sudden rise in average global temperatures from 13.7 degrees Celsius (oC) in 1900 to around 14.9 oC in 2021. A rise of 2 oC has the potential to trigger unprecedented weather events and patterns (Mastroianni, 3). This kind of information is credible since the current global community is experiencing unexpected natural calamities that had not been experienced earlier. For example, more people have appreciated that tsunamis and typhoons are common occurrences due to the recorded temperature rise of 1.2 oC. Similarly, La Niña and El Niño events continue to be experienced in different parts of the world.
A steady increase in global temperatures has triggered serious transformations to the natural environment. For instance, Grossman is convinced that rising temperatures tend to cause polar and mountain ice to melt. This event expels more water into the nearby seas and oceans (1). Such an outcome will be associated with the continued loss of coastal land that supports numerous creatures and plants. Any slight rise in global temperatures will result in continued habitat losses near oceans, thereby increasing the possibility of extinction for a number of plants and animals (Mastroianni, 3). In another study, Osborn indicated that the destruction of the ozone layer affected precipitation trends and patterns in different parts of the world (4). The recorded temperatures across the globe were to blame for the prolonged droughts and subsequent droughts in different regions across the globe. These extreme weather patterns have been observed to present a direct threat to the integrity of biological systems, natural life, and biodiversity.
Based on these present observations, it becomes agreeable that another rise of 2 degrees Celsius in global temperature will trigger catastrophic weather events and trends never recorded before. The rate of droughts, floods, and rising sea levels would increase tremendously. The possible outcome is that human beings will suffer unprecedented challenges while trying to look for food or pursue their economic goals. These trends have the potential to cause wildfires and reduce the size of land available for agricultural activities. Such occurrences will make most of the economic activities less sustainable and incapable of supporting human life (Osborn, 4). Chances of extinction for animal, plants, and insect species will increase significantly. The trends recorded in the recent past due to the rise in global temperatures describe why the outlined outcomes are possible.
Climate Change and Food Insecurity
The current wave of climate change is presenting various challenges to the sustainability of food production and supply chain systems. For instance, a report by the United Nations asserts that the prolonged droughts and floods recorded in different parts of the world destroy crops or reduce the overall level of yields (5). The absence of proper mechanisms to address this problem has worsened the experiences of more people in different parts of the world. In another study, Osborn revealed that the destruction of coastal lands due to rising water levels had the potential to affect the overall level of productivity (4). This trend was compelling more people in the specific areas to identify other sources of food.
In many countries or regions where most of the global food supplies come from, unprecedented weather events have been found to disorient the overall level of production. For example, an increase in downpour makes most of the crops waterlogged, thereby affecting the total yields recorded within a specific period (United Nations, 5). In another study, it occurred that some plants were no longer performing optimally in regions whereby they used to deliver maximum yields due to climatic changes (United Nations, 5). These developments mean that more people would be unable to access food materials that used to be locally available. Producers of beans, wheat, fruits, and other grains were finding it hard to meet the rising demand at the international level.
Some scholars have gone further to examine how the recorded rise in greenhouse gases is associated with food insecurity. For instance, Grossman revealed that crops grown in regions with higher concentrations of CO2 had reduced mineral and protein levels. The emerging foods were also associated with reduced nutritional value (1). Changing weather patterns, heavy downpours, and floods make it impossible for supply chain operators to deliver food materials to different regions (Grossman, 1). The combination of these forces has led to the problem of food security for more people in the developing world. In most of the affected countries, the governments in place lack proper mechanisms for ensuring that most of the produced food is delivered to the identified consumers in a timely manner. In troubled regions whereby people fight over natural resources, governments and militants weaponize food in an effort to pursue their goals (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 6). The effects of climate change worsen the situation, thereby making it impossible for more citizens to either produce or even receive timely food supplies.
Misuse of Financial Assistance
The common consensus among some of the leading international agencies, such as UNICEF, IMF, and AID, is that governments receiving financial support misappropriate the presented resources. This common malpractice explains why most of the citizens in the affected countries find it hard to receive adequate food supplies. Consequently, the burden of hunger has remained a common occurrence in most of the developing or underdeveloped countries in the world today (United Nations, 5). The expectation is that the process of providing donor funds and aid would help emerging economies meet their population’s food demand while getting time to improve their production systems and resources. However, the model has remained problematic due to the misuse of such resources.
Some investigators have presented several observations regarding the misuse of financial assistance from multinational organizations. For example, Gharib reveals that most of the governments in some countries are characterized by ineptitude and inefficiency (7). These problems compel those in leadership to misappropriate such resources or divert them to pursue their projects. Gharib observes that corruption is a common problem in most of the affected countries (7). Those in power or required to complete most of the responsibilities would use the presented aid to pursue their personal economic gains. Such malpractice occurs at the expense of innocent citizens who ought to be the primary beneficiaries (United Nations, 5). These problems have worsened the situation for more individuals, thereby making poverty a common challenge despite the continued provision of financial assistance.
In most of these countries, ineffective programs and policies exist to manage donor funds. Some departments rely on such resources to implement government projects while ignoring the plight of the intended beneficiaries. Gharib reveals that most leaders fail to use the presented resources to guide and encourage more people to engage in activities that can promote sustainability and self-sufficiency (7). These trends have continued to worsen the experiences and outcomes of more underserved populations in most developing countries. The consideration of evidence-based strategies to identify and address most of these challenges can help transform the situation. The involvement of key stakeholders and the improvement of the existing guidelines could help more people benefit from the available financial aid.
Conclusion
The above discussion has identified climate change and global warming as some of the problems affecting the global community today. While some people use the terms interchangeably, the first one identified the alternations in precipitation, wind patterns, and global temperatures for a period of not less than three decades. Global warming encompasses the sudden rise of temperatures linked to the increasing level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These trends are capable of affecting the integrity of the natural environment, disorienting food production, and affecting bio-systems. The current problem of climate change is capable of resulting in the extinction of plant and animal species due to habitat losses. The paper has revealed that most of these issues have the potential to disorient food production and overall supply at the global level. The situation worsens when third-world countries receive financial aid from multinational agencies and misappropriate the presented resources through corruption and inefficient policies. The consideration of proper policies and efforts to address corruption could help more people access most of these resources and lead high-quality lives.
Source List
Margaret R. Grossman, 2018, Climate Change and the Individual.
Arega B. Berlie, 2018, Global Warming: A Review of the Debates on the Causes, Consequences and Politics of Global Response.
Brian Mastroianni, 2015, Why 2 Degrees are so Important.
Liz Osborn, 2021, History of Changes in the Earth’s Temperature.
United Nations, 2020, Climate Change is an Increasing Threat to Africa.
United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022, Climate Change Indicators: U.S. and Global Temperature.
Malaka Gharib, 2017, Is Corruption Really A Big Problem In Foreign Aid?