On the occasion of the climate talks in Paris, Dr. Shenggen Fan, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), has issued the following media statement:
November 30, 2015, Washington, DC – “Today I welcome efforts by President Obama and Microsoft founder Bill Gates to spur spending on climate change research. This is a critical component to confronting the challenge presented by climate change at time when agriculture and the global food system is at a crossroads. This year, COP21 represents a real opportunity to focus on climate smart agriculture and food systems to accelerate progress toward ending global hunger and undernutrition while reducing carbon emissions. We must raise our collective voice to urge every country to implement climate smart policies, technologies, and practices to achieve adaptation and mitigation goals while nutritiously feeding the planet.
“COP brings new opportunities and new challenges. I am excited to see how we can come together to examine important issues including climate smart agriculture and access to energy—including renewable energy—for nutritious food production. Today, hundreds of millions of people still go to bed hungry, and one in three people are malnourished. Climate change is complicating our ability to feed the world, but I am confident that we can work together to find multiple-win solutions that improve agricultural productivity, reduce emissions, and enhance resilience. The 20,000 people who are dying daily of hunger-related causes deserve the world’s attention and cooperation to end climate change.”
For more information, or if you would like to speak to Dr. Fan, please contact Deborah Horan at d.horan@cgiar.org, or 202 627-4310 or Daniel Burnett at d.burnett@cgiar.org or 202 627-4311
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The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI was established in 1975 to identify and analyze alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting the food needs of the developing world, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries. www.ifpri.org.