A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program 

Famine Prevention Systems Prove Insufficient (Reuters)

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (or IPC) is a global partnership that monitors hunger levels. It is widely recognized for its five-phase classification system of food insecurity that ranges from “minimal” (Phase 1) to “famine” (Phase 5). While the IPC’s aim is to inform humanitarian organizations at an early stage of a crisis to allow them streamline the flow of aid, the worsening global hunger levels experienced this year have pointed to shortcomings in existing prevention systems. 

The IPC centers on conflict’s role as the largest driver of hunger. Political violence cuts access to food, causes prices to rise, and disrupts crop production. Developments across the globe have created many such crises in 2024. First, the IPC announced that some regions in Sudan were facing famine. It also declared that famine was imminent in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict. Violence and political instability in both conflict zones have stifled aid delivery and distribution, impeding access to food. Government-led blockage of humanitarian aid also have worsened these situations.   

A knowledge gap has also combined with funding that is supplied after a crisis to affect the pace of food distribution. Researchers also have found it increasingly difficult to collect data required for IPC assessments in conflict-struck regions. It is a lack of evidence that significantly impairs funding efforts and relief.  

READ | Tackling Challenges in the MENA Region: Climate, Food Security, and Migration 

Climate Change Finds a Platform in the World’s Top Court (NYT)  

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has commenced two weeks of public hearings on the role of international laws in protecting the environment and people in light of exacerbating weather events. It is a convening prompted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in early 2023, as it recognized that effective governance and international cooperation are crucial to combat climate change. 

More than 100 organizations and delegates from around the world are presenting arguments to the 15-member panel. In one hearing, a delegate from the small island of Vanuatu underscored the need to recognize climate change as a problem of survival, and called on member states to agree on targets beyond the Paris Agreement.   

The ICJ will provide an advisory opinion centered on the obligations of governments and large emitter nations, as well as outlining potential legal consequences for failing to take required measures. While its statements are non-binding, ICJ guidelines possess moral and ethical significance which can enhance national climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. 

READ | Guam and Vanuatu: Different Paths from Environmental Change to Human Insecurity 

The UN’s New Carbon Market Faces Uncertainty (Yale E360)  

A landmark global carbon market will be set in motion by the UN in 2025. This platform will enable countries to earn money for safeguarding and building on existing natural and artificial carbon storage resources. Countries with vast natural resources like Indonesia are eager to take advantage of this opportunity, but the new system still faces scrutiny.  

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto aims to continue the work of his predecessor Joko Widodo and sell credits to preserve the nation’s natural resources. Accordingly, Indonesia has created several restoration initiatives intending to institute a “restorative economy.” Yet Indonesia offers a complex set of carbon trading circumstances. Much of its restoration efforts center on rewetting peatlands that have been drained and degraded for palm oil plantations. Creating an accurate accounting for carbon released by dry peatlands poses a significant challenge.  

Indonesia’s case will test the efficacy of the UN’s carbon market, especially in accounting for nature-based carbon sequestration solutions. The new carbon trading market also has been scrutinized for the lack of legal obligations falling upon members who fail to abide by its rules. Strengthened regulatory mechanisms will be crucial to prevent the misuse of credits by emitting entities.  

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