In this fifth in a series of annual briefings, WRI President Jonathan Lash briefed journalists on seven key environmental issues to watch in 2008: What is likely to happen on the international climate front?; what will Congress do about climate change in 2008?; does the Environmental Protection Agency have a surprise for us?; what will be the direction of biofuels?; how is China going to react with regard to climate change over the coming year?; what new emerging environmental technologies can we expect?; and could weather play a role in the upcoming U.S. elections?

The paper begins by laying out the current state of global food insecurity and malnutrition, including magnitude, trends and future projections. The causes, consequences and costs of food insecurity and malnutrition are explored. Malnutrition is clearly a severe impediment to sustainable development and human security as it slows down economic growth and the achievement of equity. The paper briefly lays out a number of factors besides climate change, bioenergy and rising prices that will likely contribute to malnutrition in the future.

This paper begins by laying out the current state of global food insecurity and malnutrition, including magnitude, trends and future projections. It then explores the implications of climate change and rising bioenergy demand for nutrition. It also examines the direct nutrition effects of rising bioenergy demand, as well as its contribution to rising food prices. A chapter on policy implications provides a number of options for improving food security and nutrition, as well as for addressing the links between climate change and bioenergy demand on the one hand and nutrition on the other.

The historic development pathway of Europe and the US is clearly not sustainable in developing Asia, with its larger population, constrained by resource limitations, and now facing the global challenges of climate change. So far, however, Asia has not framed an alternative future that simultaneously provides for an escape from poverty, improves standards of living, and responds to the need for a low carbon, climate resilient sustainable development pathway.