top of page
Human Rights Research Center

Climate change: Disasters, Internally displaced people and food insecurity in Southern Asia (2008-2023)

November 20, 2024


View the entire visual report here on Tableau.


Downloadable version below.



 

Glossary


  • Agroforestry: Land use management that integrates trees with crops and livestock.

  • Breeding crops: The development of new crop varieties with desired traits, such as higher yields, resistance to disease, drought tolerance, or better nutrition.

  • Climate change: Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. It can be natural, but since the 1800s climate change is primarily attributable to human activities because of activities like burning fossil fuels (gas, oil and coal).

  • Conservation agriculture: A farming system that (1) promotes minimum soil disturbance (for example no tillage), (2) maintenance of a permanent soil cover (3) diversification of plant species

  • Crop rotation: The practice of alternating crops in a field each year to boost soil health, balance soil nutrients, and reduce pest and weed issues.

  • Disaster: A sudden event that causes significant damage, destruction, or suffering. It can be caused by natural forces or human actions.

    • Natural disasters can be: earthquakes, floods, storms..

    • Human actions: wars, terrorism, war, biological/chemical threat.

  • Food Insecurity: A person is food insecure when they lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth, development and an active and healthy life. This may be due to unavailability of food and/or lack of resources to obtain food.

  • Human displacement: The relocation of large numbers of people from their homes.

  • Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): IDPs have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, persecution, or disasters; however, unlike refugees, they remain within their own country. IDPs rely on national laws for protection and are not specifically protected under international law, making them particularly vulnerable.

  • Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU): An estimate of the proportion of the population whose daily food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life. It is expressed as a percentage. For example: “13,7% of the population of Bangladesh does not consume enough food to sustain a healthy and active lifestyle, hence, suffers from undernourishment”.

  • Refugees: Individuals who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country. Refugees have specific protections under international law.

 

Sources


Visuals: Climate-related disasters and internal displacement (based on data from IDMC) and food insecurity (based on data from FAO).


  1. World Bank (2022). What You Need to Know About Food Security and Climate Change: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2022/10/17/what-you-need-to-know-about-food-security-and-climate-change

  2. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). Sustainable Development Goals Data Portal: Prevalence of Undernourishment: https://www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals-data-portal/data/indicators/2.1.1-prevalence-of-undernourishment/en

  3. UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). Who We Protect: Internally Displaced People:

  4. https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/who-we-protect/internally-displaced-people

  5. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). Hunger: https://www.fao.org/hunger/en/

  6. IDMC (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre). Database on Displacement: https://www.internal-displacement.org/database/displacement-data/

  7. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). FAOSTAT: Food Security: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FS

  8. IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies). What is a Disaster? https://www.ifrc.org/our-work/disasters-climate-and-crises/what-disaster

  9. United Nations. What is Climate Change?: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

  10. Berkeley UGC (University of California, Berkeley). Displacement of Human Populations: https://ugc.berkeley.edu/background-content/displacement-of-human-populations/#:~:text=The%20displacement%20of%20human%20populations,create%20shortages%20of%20essential%20resources

  11. UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). Legal Framework: IDP Definition: https://emergency.unhcr.org/protection/legal-framework/idp-definition#:~:text=IDPs%20are%20also%20distinct%20from,country%20and%20without%20its%20protection

  12. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). Climate-Smart Agriculture. https://www.fao.org/climate-smart-agriculture/en/

  13. Rehman, A., Batool, Z., Ma, H. et al. Climate change and food security in South Asia: the importance of renewable energy and agricultural credit. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11, 342 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02847-3

  14. CGIAR. Sub1 Rice Varieties: Surviving Under Water. https://cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/9f81047a-c5e1-41b4-9039-ebf77ee1d094/content

  15. Indian Council of agricultural research. PM dedicates 109 climate-resilient and bio-fortified varieties of crops https://icar.gov.in/pm-dedicates-109-climate-resilient-and-bio-fortified-varieties-crops

  16. World economic forum. 7 ways to bolster food security in the face of climate change https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/09/7-ways-to-boost-food-security-in-the-face-of-climate-change/

bottom of page