Climate change impacts such as more frequent and severe floods and droughts will affect the food and water security of many people. The impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and aquaculture, however, is not as well known. This policy brief, a joint partnership between several agencies, highlights this issue to ensure that decision makers and climate change negotiators consider aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and aquaculture at the UNFCCC COP-15 in Copenhagen, December 2009.
The build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (1) is changing several of the features of the Earth's climate, oceans, coasts and freshwater ecosystems that affect fisheries and aquaculture - air and sea surface temperatures, rainfall, sea level, acidity of the ocean, wind patterns, and the intensity of tropical cyclones.
Fishers, fish farmers and coastal inhabitants will bear the full force of these impacts through less stable livelihoods, changes in the availability and quality of fish for food, and rising risks to their health, safety and homes. Many fisheries-dependent communities already live a precarious and vulnerable existence because of poverty, lack of social services and essential infrastructure. The fragility of these communities is further undermined by overexploited fishery resources and degraded ecosystems. The implications of climate change for food security and livelihoods in small island states and many developing countries are profound.
Investments are urgently needed to mitigate these growing threats and adapt to their impacts - but also in building our knowledge of complex ocean and aquatic processes. The overarching requirement is to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gasses - the primary human driver of climate change. Fisheries and aquaculture need specific adaptation and mitigation measures that: 1) improve the management of fisheries and aquaculture and the integrity of aquatic ecosystems; 2) respond to the opportunities and threats to food and livelihood security due to climate change impacts, and 3) help the fisheries and aquaculture sector reduce greenhouse gas emissions.