Global climatic change, water resources, and food security
1989
Gleick, P.H.
Alterations in climate due to increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other trace gases must be viewed with concern, if not alarm, because of the risk of adverse impacts on the availability and quality of water resources. Hydrologic changes may lead to alterations in pressure on food resources in many regions of the world. This paper explores the mechanisms by which food security - defined here as the ability of a region to produce or otherwise provide food without threatening the well-being of either the population or the existing political systems - could be affected by climate-induced changes in water resources. Shifts in the timing, magnitude, or location of major hydrologic phenomena, such as runoff, soil moisture, or monsoons, are discussed, together with the important vulnerabilities of agricultural productivity to changes in water availability. Some of the concomitant political and socioeconomic implications are also presented, with suggestions for ways to enhance the reliability of food resources dependent on uncertain water supplies.
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