Addressing Transboundary Climate Risks (TCRs) for the Food Security of Countries

National adaptation plans (NAPs) in general and in Asia in particular often focus primarily on domestic climate risks, but the increasing significance of transboundary climate impacts calls for a broader, interconnected perspective. For example, disruptions in agricultural production in food-exporting countries, such as India, caused by climate-induced droughts, floods, or heatwaves, can directly affect food availability and prices in food-importing nations, like Japan, which relies heavily on imports from climate-vulnerable regions. Conversely, when importing countries face climate shocks, their increased demand or reduced purchasing power can destabilise markets for exporting countries, undermining rural livelihoods and long-term agricultural resilience. This interdependence highlights how climate risks do not stop at national borders and how food systems are embedded in complex global value chains. Without addressing these transboundary linkages, NAPs underestimate risk, overlooking critical vulnerabilities that threaten both regional food security and global supply chains. Revisiting NAPs to incorporate such perspectives would help anticipate cascading impacts, foster cooperative risk management, and strengthen resilience in both exporting and importing countries.

National adaptation plans (NAPs) in general and in Asia in particular often focus primarily on domestic climate risks, but the increasing significance of transboundary climate impacts calls for a broader, interconnected perspective. For example, disruptions in agricultural production in food-exporting countries, such as India, caused by climate-induced droughts, floods, or heatwaves, can directly affect food availability and prices in food-importing nations, like Japan, which relies heavily on imports from climate-vulnerable regions. Conversely, when importing countries face climate shocks, their increased demand or reduced purchasing power can destabilise markets for exporting countries, undermining rural livelihoods and long-term agricultural resilience. This interdependence highlights how climate risks do not stop at national borders and how food systems are embedded in complex global value chains. Without addressing these transboundary linkages, NAPs underestimate risk, overlooking critical vulnerabilities that threaten both regional food security and global supply chains. Revisiting NAPs to incorporate such perspectives would help anticipate cascading impacts, foster cooperative risk management, and strengthen resilience in both exporting and importing countries.