USAID, Rockefeller launch $100 million climate resilience fund

Thin Lei Win in Reuters, via the Thomson Reuters Foundation: A $100 million fund launched on Tuesday aims to make people in disaster-prone regions of Asia and Africa better able to cope with natural disasters and crises, so that they can get their lives and economies back on track more quickly and effectively.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) set up by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Rockefeller Foundation will focus on South and Southeast Asia, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, where typhoons, floods, earthquakes and drought destroy lives and jobs and hamper development.

Scientists say climate change could bring more frequent and more intense weather-related disasters. If communities become more resilient, disaster recovery and relief efforts will cost less, and people will be able to reduce the disruption to lives and jobs and avoid falling into destitution.

“Both USAID and the Rockefeller Foundation see resilience as a vital framework to help alleviate poverty, promote more sustainable development and lessen the impacts of disasters,” said Michael Yates, director of the USAID regional mission in Asia.

The GRP’s first project is the Global Resilience Design Challenge, a multi-phase competition to be launched in September at the USAID Frontiers in Development Forum in Washington, D.C....

Helping Tanzanian families build their resilience in the aftermath of a disaster

Sheila Chemjor in AllAfrica.com via the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: Families in Morogoro's Dakawa and Kilosa area, 270 kilometres northwest of Tanzania's capital Dar es Salaam, are rebuilding their lives following flash floods that left a massive trail of destruction earlier in the year, affecting at least 10,000 people. It is the first time since the 1970s that they had experienced such heavy rainfall and as such were completely unprepared. Some houses were washed away leaving no trace of their existence.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) allocated 180,676 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to help the Tanzania Red Cross Society in assisting 2,000 people affected by the floods. With the help of the Red Cross, families have now constructed shelters at a temporary site allocated to them by the Government of Tanzania, as they wait to be settled permanently on safer grounds.

As part of the emergency operation, Tanzania Red Cross Society volunteers carried out hygiene promotion to prevent an outbreak of diseases, and provided water and sanitation facilities and shelter materials. They also offered psychosocial support.

With agriculture as their main source of livelihoods, the community was hard pressed as their farms were completely destroyed. Not wanting to wallow in pity, they started to plough the land around their settlements, planting maize, beans and indigenous vegetables to avoid relying on food aid. Others went back to their original homes to plant their crops on their farms while they continue to live in the settlement....

A flood in Dar es Salaam, shot by Muddyb Blast Producer, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

World “woefully unprepared” for climate impacts on food

A press release from Oxfam: ...Oxfam’s briefing paper, ‘Hot and Hungry: How to stop climate change derailing the fight against hunger’ analyses ten key factors that will have an increasingly important influence on countries’ ability to feed their people in a warming world. Across all ten areas, Oxfam found serious gaps between what governments are doing and what they need to do to protect our food systems. The results also show that while many countries – both rich and poor – are unprepared for the impact of climate change on food security, it is the world’s poorest and most food insecure among them that are least prepared and most at risk. The ten gaps, “failing” policy areas that will undermine the world’s ability to feed itself in a warming world, are:

• International adaptation finance (score: <1 li="">
• Crop irrigation (score: < 1/10)...
• Crop insurance (score < 2/10)...
• Agricultural research and development (R&D) (score: 2/10):....
• Social protection (score: 3/10)...
• Weather forecasting (score: 3/10)...
• Gender discrimination (score: 5/10)...
• Food stocks (score 5/10)...
• Agricultural investment (score: 7/10)...
• Humanitarian aid (score: 6/10)...

Project targets common humanitarian data collection

Jan Piotrowski in SciDev.net: Creating a common standard for humanitarian data collection and a shared database or catalogue will be the dual focus of a UN-led project, the Humanitarian eXchange Language (HXL) initiative, whose working group met for the first time last week (20 January).

The year-long project, which is run by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, received funding from the Humanitarian Innovation Fund in November.

By producing guidelines on data type and format, as well as collection methods, the initiative will allow the direct comparison of information from different humanitarian organisations, says David Megginson, head of HXL’s standards efforts.

While standards on how to deliver humanitarian aid exist, the field lacks a coherent system for data management, both in terms of its collection and storage, he tells SciDev.Net. “The problem is there is huge, duplicated effort in data collection and, a few years after the crisis, the information has disappeared,” he says.

HXL’s working group, consisting of representatives of various NGOs and UN and national development agencies, decided to focus on “high-value indicators” that can be compared between different organisations and have a big impact on crisis response efforts, says Megginson....

Oxfam health workers in Dadaab prepare to distribute 7,000 jerry cans and bars of soap to newly arrived refugees who have walked for many days across the desert from Somalia. Shot by Oxfam East Africa, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license 

Some ways to to help victims of Haiyan

NBC News: ....The organizations listed below are deploying urgent relief efforts on the islands. See how you can help:

The American Red Cross has launched a family tracing service among other aid operations. If you are unable to reach a family member in the Philippines, you can contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross to initiate a tracing case. ...Go to redcross.org for local chapter information or redcross.org.ph to donate directly to the Philippine Red Cross.

The Philippine Red Cross said it has mobilized teams on the ground to help with rescue and relief operations. Click the link to learn more.

UNICEF is taking donations to help provide children with shelter, clean water, nutrition and vaccines. Representatives said its staff in the Philippines is being repositioned to help in relief efforts and 66 tons of emergency supplies are being sent from Copenhagen. An airlift set to arrive on Tuesday will include water purification systems, storage equipment and sanitation supplies. Donations can be made to UNICEF at unicef.org/support.

World Food Programme (WFP), a United Nations organization, said it will send more than 40 tons of high energy biscuits and work with the Filipino government to help with logistics and emergency communications systems. Representatives said they have allocated $2 million for the disaster response and officials joined an assessment mission to survey damage in Leyte and Samar provinces. It asks for donations at www.wfpusa.org or by texting the word AID to 27722 to instantly donate $10.

Save the Children is also mounting disaster relief efforts to help children and families in the region with emergency assistance.

Catholic Relief Services is accepting donations on its website as it begins moving supplies and staff to respond to the typhoon.

World Vision said it will provide food and water to those in evacuation shelters. Representative said it is putting together resources to assist 1.2 million people, including food, hygiene kits, emergency shelter and protection. It asked for one-time donations to be made at worldvision.org....

Helping communities adapt to climate change in Samoa

Patrick Fuller of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at the Thomson Reuters Foundation: ....Climate modellers predict that the effects of global warming – coupled with natural weather events caused by El Niño and La Niña – have caused an escalating pattern of greater extremes in rainfall distribution across the Pacific, together with more intense and frequent cyclonic storms and prolonged periods of drought. Approximately 70 per cent of Samoa’s population and infrastructure is located in low-lying coastal areas, making the population increasingly vulnerable to the projected rises in sea levels.

“In the past decade we had about three major disasters – this is something new,” says Tautala Mauala, Secretary General of the Samoa Red Cross Society. “Flooding caused by Cyclone Evan in 2012 brought Apia to a standstill and also affected the southern part of the mainland. It’s not just the frequency, but the severity of these disasters. They are having a devastating impact on our country.”

Helping communities adapt to the risks posed by climate change is integral to the disaster risk reduction activities of the Samoa Red Cross Society. Under a Community Disaster and Climate Risk Management Programme funded by the Australian Red Cross, support is being provided to communities to become more resilient in the face of disaster threats. The project’s origins are partly rooted in the experience of Cyclone Evan, which highlighted a lack of knowledge among communities on how to prepare for and respond to disasters...

A canoe in Samoa, shot by Teinesavaii, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Africa urged to pursue homegrown climate change solutions

Thomson Reuters Foundation: African nations are entitled to a fair share of financial and other assistance from the developed world to help them cope with climate change, but they should also take the initiative to green their own economies and use land more sustainably and productively, experts told a conference on climate change and development in Ethiopia this month.

The Kenya-based Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), a coalition of non-governmental organisations, urged rich nations to commit at upcoming U.N. climate talks in Warsaw to provide climate aid equivalent to at least 1.5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP). The group also called for the establishment of an international mechanism to protect the most vulnerable countries from losses and damage resulting from climate change.

At the Addis Ababa conference, which was attended by more than 700 delegates from 54 African countries, Carlos Lopes, U.N. under secretary general and executive secretary of the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said “principles of corrective and distributive justice should apply” at November’s U.N. climate negotiations in Warsaw.

Lopes noted that per capita carbon dioxide emissions in Africa are less than 1 tonne each year. Yet while Africa accounts for just 2.4 percent of global emissions, the negative impacts of climate change estimated as a percentage of GDP are higher in Africa than in wealthier parts of the world, he added.

As a result the continent is a massive ecological creditor, Lopes said, even though countries responsible for 80 percent of global emissions do not accept this concept. The aid Africa has received for adapting to climate change so far is less than 2 percent of the total it needs, he added...

A fruit stand in Swaziland, shot by Sara Atkins, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Lessons of 2012 inform Red Cross response as new floods hit Nigeria

David Fogden, IFRC, and Victoria Madamidola and Charles Eri, Nigerian Red Cross Society in a press release from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies:  Heavy seasonal rains have caused flooding across Nigeria, bringing further misery to a population which is still recovering from fatal floods in 2012, the worst floods the country had experienced in more than 40 years. According to the National Emergency Management Agency, more than 47,000 people have been affected. The states of Abia, Bauchi, Benue, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kano, Kogi and Zamfara have been hit particularly hard. In Kaduna and Katsina, the situation has been exacerbated by the collapse of earth dams.

The Nigerian Red Cross Society has completed assessments in the states of Bauchi, Kaduna, Kebbi and Zamfara to establish the needs of people who have been affected. “The floodwaters came and then went within 48 hours, causing many mud-brick homes to collapse, ruining families’ belongings,” explains Altilina Simon, Deputy Disaster Management Coordinator at the Nigerian Red Cross Society, who led the assessments.

“The population is also at risk of waterborne diseases, as the wells, which people depend on for drinking water, have been polluted by the floods. In some villages, there is a belief that putting frogs into wells will make the water safe to drink,” adds Simon. “To help correct such misconceptions, we have mobilized volunteers, who are trained in health and hygiene promotion, to pass on messages about how to properly clean water before use. They are also distributing water purification tablets.” Stagnant floodwater also provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which carry malaria.

Following the 2012 floods response, which was carried out with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the National Society is now better prepared to respond to the flooding that hits the country at this time of year, every year.

“The training Red Cross volunteers received during the floods last year is paying off, as they are again being called on to help respond to this year’s flooding,” says Simon. “Aside from health and hygiene promotion, we have also trained our volunteers on how to use the shelter kits, which they then teach to community members.” Volunteers are also helping with search and rescue, providing psychosocial support to help traumatized families work through what they have experienced, and helping to distribute relief supplies...

A submerged house in Makurdi town, Nigeria, in 2012, shot by Achakpa, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

WWF seeks to protect Congo park from oil developer

World Wildlife Fund via AP: The World Wildlife Fund is trying to block proposed oil exploration in Africa's oldest national park where 200 gorillas live.

The Swiss-based conservation group filed its complaint Monday with Britain's Department for Business Innovation and Skills in a bid to stop SOCO International's exploration in Congo's Virunga National Park, a World Heritage site listed by UNESCO as being "in danger."

The WWF says SOCO's plan violates Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines on sustainable development, public disclosure and other points. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills is the arm of the British government responsible for overseeing compliance with OECD guidelines.

Last year the Congo government authorized SOCO, which is based in London, to explore the region, saying that economic interests take precedence over environmental considerations....

Waterfall in the Virunga National Park. The Virunga National Park (formerly Albert National Park) lies from the Virunga Mountains, to the Rwenzori Mountains, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, bordering Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda. Shot by Foto Ad Meskens, Wikimedia Commons

Red Cross urges Kenya to declare Tana River a disaster zone

Alphonce Gari in AllAfrica.com via the Star (Kenya): The Kenya Red Cross Society wants the county and national government to declare Tana River as a disaster zone. Secretary General Abbas Gullet said the area was faced with many tragedies including the recent bloody clashes that left about 200 people dead and displaced over 40,000 people. The recent floods have also caused havoc and displaced thousands of residents.

Addressing journalists at Gamba area after touring the Internal Displaced victims for floods in Garsen Gullet said it's time the government allocated enough resources to the region so as to help the residents.

He spoke a time when over 3,507 victims of floods from 24 villages in Tanadelta are yet to be reached after their homes were marooned.The road networks were cut off and the only means to reach them is by boat or helicopter in order to evacuate and or help them with non food items and relief food.

The Garsen, Ijara Masalani road was completely cut off and residents have to use canoes to cross over to safety zones. "This is a double tragedy, the county and central government should declare this area as a disaster zone and help the locals to recover and set up proper shelters so as to resume with their normal lives," he said....

A Tana River bridge wrecked by a 1998 flood, US Marine Corps photo

UK's Carbon Trust launches scheme to tackle water waste

Mark Kinver in the BBC: An international standard on water reduction has been launched in an effort to order to encourage businesses to use water more sustainably. The UK's Carbon Trust, which developed the scheme, said many business leaders did not see the issue as a priority.

The Water Standard will require firms to measure water use and demonstrate efforts taken to reduce consumption. It is estimated that more than 60% of Europe's largest cities consume water faster than it can be replenished.

UN data shows that 70% of global freshwater use is for irrigation, 22% is used by industry and 8% is used in homes. Water use is forecast to increase in developing nations by 50% by 2025 and by 18% in developed nations.

"We know that most businesses that are very big users of water don't really have a handle on [water stewardship]," explained Carbon Trust chief executive Tom Delay. "Very few measure it, even fewer have targets to reduce consumption. So even if there is not a significant cost penalty for water use, there is a very significant business risk."...

A World War II poster from the US National Archives

Migration not always a way to adapt

IRIN: As the impact of climate change unfolds, many have predicted forbidding scenarios of millions of impoverished people flooding into often affluent countries. Yet a ground-breaking study released on 28 November reveals a more nuanced relationship between climate variability and migration, which could provide insight into how events might transpire in the coming years.

The study, carried out by Care International and the UN University (UNU) in eight countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, reveals that in nearly all instances where rains have become too scarce for farming, people have migrated - but within the national borders.

The project also considered possible future scenarios in Tanzania, where even scarcer rains over the next 25 years were projected to double migration from vulnerable households.  The project’s researchers hope their findings will inform the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) talks, currently taking place in Doha, by persuading participants to speed up efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and develop effective policies to adapt to rising temperatures.

The three-year research project, Where the rain falls: climate change, hunger and human mobility, covered over 1,300 households and 2,000 individuals in Bangladesh, India, Ghana, Guatemala, Peru, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam. 

...It is one of the first empirical efforts to explore how poor households use migration as a risk management strategy to deal with climate stressors and food insecurity. The study also offers insight into how households adjust their behaviour in the face of these changes, which could inform how policymakers support rural communities....

Young people in Guatemala in 1980, shot by Infrogmation, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

International NGOs launch child-centered climate change adaptation project in the Philippines

Philippine Information Agency: Save the Children, in partnership with Plan International and Institute for Sustainable Futures of the University of Technology Sydney, yesterday launched its 30-month "Child-Centered, Community-Based Climate Change Adaptation" project in Aurora .

William Azucena, Save the Children program manager, said “the project aims to prepare households on what to do and how to reduce risks of earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and floods through a localized information, education and communication campaign that will make it comprehensible to children - who are the most vulnerable in times of disasters.”

It will cover 30 barangays from the municipalities of Baler, Maria Aurora, Dipaculao and Dinalungan benefitting over 9,500 kids and 1,900 households.

“Small grants will also be made available for child-centered and/or child-led local initiatives on climate change adaptation in partnership with schools, local government units and other community partners to ensure sustainability,” Azucena added....

Filipino children, US Navy photo

Ugandan communities plant trees to avert disaster

British Red Cross: The Red Cross has responded to a call from the Ugandan Ministry of Disaster Preparedness to provide 50,000 tree seedlings, which will help reforest parts of the Mount Elgon region.

The tree-planting project is part of a new Uganda Red Cross programme, launched in September 2012, to reduce the impact of disasters in the Elgon region. The majority of families depend on the land for their survival, putting pressure on natural resources.  Environmental degradation in this region is one of the factors causing more frequent floods and landslides over the last few years.

Karen Peachey, British Red Cross representative in east Africa, said: “Such disasters are only going to become a greater threat due to a rapidly growing population, continuing environmental degradation and climate change, which is predicted to increase both the dry spells and intense rains. The programme, which is supported by the British Red Cross, will help communities be better prepared, saving both lives and livelihoods.”

The Uganda Red Cross is helping 30 communities in the districts of Bududa, Bulambuli, Manafwa and Bukedea. William Kimanai, a 34-year old community volunteer in Wanga village, Bulambuli district, said: “We’ve been given a number of tree species including mangoes, guavas, oranges and eucalyptus. The trees conserve moisture and that is why we plant them along the river banks. We encourage every household member to plant at least three trees.”...

Mount Elgon, shot by Kristina Just, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Greenpeace says Philippine seas is facing an unprecedented crisis

Samar News (Philippines): Climate change, ocean pollution, and overfishing threaten the Philippines’ stature as the leader in global marine biodiversity, and are already affecting communities that rely on rich marine ecosystems for food.

At a community conference held at the Municipal Hall of Donsol, Sorsogon, Greenpeace today expressed alarm over the unprecedented destruction of the Philippine marine ecosystem that foreshadows serious health, social and economic impacts.

“We are an archipelagic nation. Soon, we will become the epicenter of global marine adversity if our government agencies refuse to acknowledge and address the crisis at sea,” said Vince Cinches, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

“Our seas are already under threat from massive overfishing and decades of unsustainable fishing practices that have resulted in today’s dwindling fish catch. With ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures, fish won’t be able to spawn and propagate. That now leaves 30 million Filipinos with even less fish to eat,” he added.

There is also the problem of illegal commercial fishing. Monsignor Angel Dy of the Sorsogon Social Action Foundation Inc. said that fisherfolk around Burias-Ticao Pass cannot compete with large commercial fishing vessels that encroach on municipal waters. “We know that illegal and unregulated fishing is rampant in our waters, and yet no one seems to be doing anything about it. This is the reason why last year some bishops went to President Aquino to request that his office ban commercial vessels from the waters around Burias, Ticao, and Ragay Gulf,” said the Monsignor....

Traditional boatbuilding in the Phlippines, shot by Paul Shaffner, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr,  under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

From relief to resilience: ready to weather the storm

The British Red Cross has a blog: With the global population exceeding 7 billion, the earth’s resources are under increasing strain, resulting in more crises and people needing help than ever before. In response, the Red Cross has evolved its approach to providing aid.

As the numbers rise – more conflict over limited resources, more weather-related disasters, more poverty and food crises – the Red Cross is bridging relief aid and development for a more sustainable future.

Alyson Lewis, resilience team manager, says: “In the communities where we work overseas, people face extremely difficult situations, often made worse by underlying poverty. This makes it difficult to break away from dependency on aid.

“At the British Red Cross we are constantly reviewing the way we work, aiming to be more effective, and as a result we’ve developed a ‘resilience approach’ for international programmes. This means whether we’re working on emergency response, disaster recovery or a longer-term programme, the result will be a community better able to withstand future threats to their wellbeing.”

The resilience approach helps people identify risks ahead of time, reduce these risks, and be ready to respond after a crisis. As a result, lives are saved and people can recover quickly, with less need for emergency aid….

Climate change 'one part of environmental puzzle'

Graham Lloyd in the Australian: Climate change should not overshadow important environmental issues such as managing ecosystems, protecting biodiversity and sustainable development, World Wildlife Fund global president Yolanda Kakabadse said yesterday.

Ms Kakabadse, a former environment minister in Ecuador, does think climate change is important. In fact, she likes to call it "climate emergency" because people today are conditioned to believe that "change is good". Speaking ahead of conference appearances in Sydney and Canberra this week, Ms Kakabadse said climate change was only one part of the environment puzzle.

"The climate change agenda has overtaken every discussion and debate on the environment without realising that depletion of natural resources and ecosystems and biodiversity is one of the main causes," she said.

"Unless we talk about biodiversity and ecosystems and species and protected areas as well as sustainable management of natural resources, we cannot come to conclusions about climate change."

Ms Kakabadse said WWF believed the key to success environmentally lay in building strong relationships with business. "We need to have stronger links to the business sector and the industrial sector because they are the movers and shakers of the economy; unless they are key partners in solving the problems, then we won't be able to move ahead," she said....

As floods and drought worsen, short-sighted response is costing lives and squandering scarce aid money

Islamic Relief (UK): A new report from Islamic Relief to be published on October 1 says that while climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, a huge imbalance in disaster spending is costing lives and squandering scarce aid budgets. Feeling the Heat says providing protection against increasing droughts and floods is more effective and much less costly than waiting to act until disaster strikes – yet the world spends 23 times as much on emergency relief for the most disaster-prone countries as it spends on disaster risk reduction.

...Feeling the Heat challenges the UN, governments and aid agencies to completely rethink their priorities and put disaster risk reduction at the heart of all aid programmes. The report is being launched in the UK with fringe events on October 1 and 9 at the Labour and Conservative party conferences respectively, featuring first Shadow International Development Minister Rushanara Ali and then a Coalition Government representative in debate with Islamic Relief’s Shahnawaz Ali and Craig Bennett, Policy and Campaigns Director of Friends of the Earth.

The 44-page report – which was researched in association with nef (the new economics foundation) and includes positive examples from Islamic Relief projects in Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and Mali – says that:

• The number of climate-related disasters increased by an average of 4% a year from 1980 to 2010
• In 2011 alone such disasters killed 27,000 people and cost $380 billion in economic losses. Their financial cost is doubling every 12 years
• The richest countries suffer the highest incidence of natural disasters but only account for 7% of the death toll. Sixty-nine people died in the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, compared to 316,000 in a quake of similar intensity in Haiti in 2010
• A dollar of spending on disaster risk reduction projects can deliver $15 worth of reduced disaster damage, according to US government research...

Impact of climate change on food prices is underestimated, Oxfam warns

Rebecca Smithers in the Guardian (UK): Climate change's impact on future food prices is being underestimated, Oxfam warned in a report on Wednesday. The development charity predicts that massive price spikes will be a devastating blow to the world's poorest people who today spend up to 75% of their income on food, and will also adversely affect UK consumers.

Its report, Extreme Weather, Extreme Price, suggests extreme weather events such as droughts and floods – made more likely by global warming – could drive up future food prices. Previous research has tended to consider gradual impacts of rising global temperatures, such as changing rainfall patterns.

Oxfam's research, comissioned by the charity and undertaken by the Institute of Development Studies, examines the impact of extreme weather scenarios on food prices in 2030. It warns that by that date the world could be even more vulnerable to the kind of drought happening today in the US – the worst in 60 years – with dependence on US exports of wheat and maize predicted to rise and climate change increasing the likelihood of extreme droughts in North America. ...

US farmers urge Obama administration to suspend ethanol quota amid drought

Suzanne Goldenberg in the Guardian (UK): The Obama administration was urged on Monday to stop diverting grain to gas amid warnings of an "imminent food crisis" caused by America's drought. US government forecasts of a 4% rise in food prices for US consumers because of the drought have sharpened criticism of supports for producing fuel from corn-based ethanol.

Meanwhile, research published last week by the New England Complex Systems Institute warned of an "imminent food crisis" because of the diversion of corn stocks to ethanol. "Necsi has warned for months that misguided food-to-ethanol conversion programs and rampant commodity speculation have created a food price bubble, leading to an inevitable spike in prices by 2013. Now it appears the "crop shock" will arrive even sooner due to drought, unless measures to curb ethanol production and rein in speculators are adopted immediately," the researchers warned.

In the latest move, the country's meat, dairy and poultry producers called on the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend this year's quotas for corn ethanol production.

"The extraordinary and disastrous circumstances created for livestock and poultry producers by the ongoing drought in the heart of our grain growing regions requires that all relevant measures of relief be explored," said the petition to the EPA's administrator Lisa Jackson.

It went on to warn that the requirement for corn ethanol production was further beating up corn prices, which were already at record levels because of the drought in the mid-west. "We are worried about having enough corn, soybean and other crops at any price to feed our animals," Randy Spronk, the president of the National Pork Producers Association told a conference call with reporters....

New Energy Corporation's ethanol plant in South Bend, Indiana, shot by cassini83, public domain