Fighting climate change and poverty collectively
WE are living in an increasingly unequal and unjust world with the highest amount of wealth and highest number of people living in extreme poverty, who suffer from food insecurity, malnutrition, ill health, joblessness and social insecurity. A recent report of FAO says that currently over one billion people in the Earth cannot take adequate food every day and they go hungry. We are also facing the biggest environmental and developmental problem ever -- global climate change, which poses a serious threat to human security and civilisation. Rapid climate change is a man-made catastrophe.
Over the last decades, there have been growing scientific evidence of human-induced climate change. The last IPCC report in 2007 asserted that climate change is unequivocal and this poses serious threat to human security and civilisation. Over the past two decades, scientific evidence has grown irrefutably that human beings have played a significant role in causing the sharp rise in the average global temperature of 0.7°C in the last century. It is apprehended that there would be another 4°C-7°C rise of average temperature in the current century.
The various negative impacts of climate change are being felt severely, particularly in poor and developing countries. Climate change has increased global food insecurity, hunger, poverty and inequity at the regional level and within many societies. Climate change displaces people in many affected ecosystems (coastal zone, river basin and drought prone areas) and enhances rural to urban migration in many countries. Thus it will increase social conflicts in the developing countries. In his recent statement, UN Under-Secretary General Dr. Achim Steiner has said, "Large number of people are already on move, with millions more are expected to follow as evidence of climate change mounts."
Linkages between climate change and poverty
Climate change is happening faster than the scientists predicted with grave consequences at local and regional scales. The countries in temperate and tropical Asia are likely to have increased exposure to extreme events, including forest-fire, typhoons and tropical storms, cyclone, tidal surge, floods and landslides, and severe vector-borne diseases. The stresses of climate change are likely to disrupt the ecology of mountain and highland systems in Asia. Glacial melt is also expected to increase under changed climate conditions. Sea level rise would cause large-scale inundation along the vast Asian coastline and recession of flat sandy beaches. The ecological stability of mangroves and coral reefs around Asia would be put at risk. Thousands of people die every year as a direct result of climate change and related events. Those who survive climate shocks are often driven deeper into poverty because of the impact on their livelihoods, health and security. The challenge to end poverty is bigger than ever in the contexts of climate change.
The poor are the most vulnerable to climate change impacts because of their lack of capacity. The effects of climate change are sometimes direct, such as loss of crop yields and food insecurity, water scarcity and growing health risks. The poorest people within the country are critically vulnerable to natural disaster and any severe climatic event that disrupt their lives and livelihoods, because the poor have the least capacity to cope with changing situations and reduce their risks. Again, poverty sometimes increases the level of vulnerability, because the poor often live in places, have livelihoods that are susceptible to natural disasters and economic crisis; it limits their ability to cope with or recover from the shocks.
Impact on agriculture and food insecurity of the poor
Climate change poses a serious threat to agricultural productivity, particularly in developing countries. Both climate variability and extreme climatic events, like drought, flood, cyclone etc., are affecting agricultural productivity and food security in Asian and African countries. Global wheat production has decreased sharply in the recent years because of increasing maize cultivation destined for bio-fuel production for the rich countries. The poor and marginal sections of people are mainly the victims of this situation. In this context, Professor Sen observed that the stomachs of the poor are competing with the fuel tanks of the rich.
The super cyclonic Sidr and its frequent and prolonged floods caused damage to 30%-40% of crops in 2007 in Bangladesh. Cyclone Aila and the associated tidal surge hit Bangladesh and West Bengal in India in May in 2009. Thousands of people are living on broken embankments without much food, water, good shelters, and face various social insecurities in Bangladesh even six months after the cyclone. The poor became extremely poor and many non-poor have been thrown into poverty and food insecurity by the destruction of Aila.
Climatic extreme events, human displacement and social conflicts
The frequency, intensity and impacts of climatic and natural disasters have increased in recent years. Climatic events such as flood, drought and cyclones first hit the poorest since they live in fringe areas. Death casualty is high among the poor due to natural and climatic disasters. Women, children and elderly people are badly affected by climate extremes. The conventional disaster risk reduction measures are not effective in the contexts of frequency and intensity of climatic disasters. The possible sea level rise will affect low-lying and coastal countries. Millions of people will be displaced from their homes, occupations and livelihood and many will be thrown into poverty. It will enhance rural to urban migration and generate social conflicts in near future. International migration policies and programs are to be reformulated in the light of the influx of climate refugees, particularly from developing countries. Assistance should be provided to enable people to stay within their own community and culture before people are forced to move. Local and regional scale rehabilitation and resettlement should be advanced before the onset of sea level rise to a greater extent. The Aila affects people's need for greater rehabilitation and resettlement supports in Bangladesh.
The key challenges and urgent responses
Now the key challenges are: a) To stop climate change through urgent mitigation measures and create effective framework for post-2012 commitments, with greater participation of both developed and developing countries to halt dangerous climate change; b) Explore how to live in a warmer climate which is now unavoidable; and c) Promote low-carbon economy and lifestyle for the rich who do the most harm through luxuries and over consumption. Mitigating climate change, eradicating poverty and promoting economic growth and political stability all demand the same solutions. The rich countries must reduce their GHG emission urgently and immediately to save the planet and human civilisation.
We hope the upcoming UN conference on climate change in Copenhagen in December will come up with a comprehensive legally binding agreement supported by the political will of the nation states, particularly of the developed countries including the USA. Besides mitigation, the conference may also take strong decisions for adaptation measures and funding for poor countries, food security, poverty-reduction and addressing climate refugees. These are all interrelated and deserve collective effort to fight together. We have to go a long way and must not waste our time anymore.
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