THE NOURISHING EFFECT

CHAPTER 3
Achieving Sustainable Progress Against Hunger and Malnutrition
Ending global hunger by 2030 is within reach. But whether hunger is gone for good will
depend on the effectiveness of a globally coordinated response to climate change. Climate
change is the sustainable development challenge of the century, and without a response commensurate
to the challenge, we will surely see the reversal of decades of progress against
poverty, hunger and malnutrition, maternal and child mortality, and other development
goals included in the MDGs and SDGs.
Climate change is caused by excessive amounts of the greenhouse gases that blanket
the earth’s atmosphere and trap
heat. The effects are visible in the
increased frequency and severity
of storms, floods, heat waves, and
droughts. California’s persistent
drought, the worst on record, has
been linked to climate change. 114
Climate scientists project that
unless there are reductions in
greenhouse gas emissions, these
impacts will only get worse. 115
The formation of greenhouse
gases is natural—the problem is
that human activity has increased
their levels enough to raise the
temperature of the entire planet.
The burning of fossil fuels since
the dawn of the industrial age
more than 250 years ago has added
substantially to the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. CO2 is not the most
noxious of the greenhouse gases, but it is the primary reason the climate is changing so rapidly.
116 Unfortunately, economic growth is still driven mainly by energy produced from fossil
fuels. As national economies continue to develop, the amount of carbon dioxide pouring into
the atmosphere surges.
Humanity is fortunate that technological advances have made it possible to fuel economic
growth with renewable sources of energy that do not contribute to climate change. 117 The issue
now is forging a global partnership to invest in renewable energy sources and commit to using
them—and to do so on a large enough scale to prevent further damage to Earth’s climate. We
have reached a critical juncture in global politics. Sustainable development—reducing poverty,
ending hunger and malnutrition, educating everyone, and more—depends on nations’ ability
to contain and manage climate change. The damage already done cannot be undone, but
the most affected communities can be supported in adapting and in developing strategies to
increase their resilience in the future. Delaying the necessary investments in renewable energy,
however, will only increase their ultimate price tag. The technological barriers to addressing
climate change have been overcome—the biggest barrier remaining is political.
In Sri Lanka, solar
panels are used
for lighting village
homes.
Dominic Sansoni/World Bank
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