Climate Change and Poverty: Turning Ambition into Action

“Climate change is worsening the plight of those hundreds of millions of men, women and children who already live in extreme poverty - and it threatens to push hundreds of millions more people into similar destitution. A concerted international response to this unprecedented challenge is required if we are to avoid catastrophic human suffering.”

THE HUMAN FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

The preceding chapters make for grim reading: the threat they describe is global, imminent and severe, especially for the world’s poorest people who have contributed least to the problem. Human-induced climate change is modifying patterns of extreme weather, including floods, cyclones and droughts. Although some climate change is now inevitable, there is still time to avoid the worst impacts. We can prevent human suffering on an unprecedented scale, but this will require us to act quickly… and we haven’t a moment to lose.

The costs of inaction would be high and far-reaching, and they would be paid disproportionately by the poor. As well as destroying livelihoods and infrastructure, the impacts of climate change aggravate financial, political, social and environmental problems, making it even more difficult to achieve a wide range of development goals. In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we therefore need to expand global investment in disaster risk reduction, build climate-resilient livelihoods, strengthen local governance and break down entrenched inequities and discriminatory power structures.

The situation is urgent because climate change is happening with greater speed and intensity than initially predicted, and we may rapidly be approaching an irreversible “tipping point”. In fact, global CO2 emissions are rising at steeper and steeper rates; and many people are already paying the price. This leaves us with little choice but to do two things simultaneously: make meaningful cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and begin addressing the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

We must begin taking seriously the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy production, deforestation, transport and industrial processes. The international community is meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009, at the 15th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to agree on a way forward. Success in Copenhagen will help prevent us from shooting past any safe emission scenario. On the other hand, a setback at Copenhagen will make it harder for us to prevent climate change that commits future generations to a very different – and far more dangerous – world.

Globally, CARE is helping millions of poor people who are vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. As they struggle for survival, their everyday life experiences remind us that there is a human face of climate change. In CARE’s work to fight poverty and defend the dignity of these millions of people, our focus is therefore on helping the most vulnerable communities to adapt to the impacts of the climate change they are already experiencing.

BEGIN ADAPTATION NOW

From increasingly frequent droughts in Africa, to melting glaciers in the Americas, to heatwaves in Europe and worsening monsoons in South Asia, it is clear that we are too late to avoid the negative impacts of climate change entirely. Moreover, scientists fear that we are already committed to far more warming (at least an additional 0.6°C by the end of this century) as a result of the inertia in the climate system. For example, a recent study concluded that it would take 1,000 years or longer to reverse some of the existing inertia in the system, even in the extremely unlikely event that global emissions were immediately reduced to pre-industrial levels. This suggests that it is now past time to start adapting to the changes human activity has set in motion. For CARE, this means focusing on the most vulnerable populations that have the lowest capacity to adapt.

Adaptive responses include technological (e.g., higher sea walls), behavioural (e.g., reduced consumption), managerial (e.g., new approaches to farming) and policy options (e.g., new regulations). In many countries, a mix of these is already pursued in rapidly evolving adaptation strategies. For example, CARE is working with villagers in Misali Island, Tanzania, to re-establish mangrove forests. As they grow, the mangroves will provide critical habitat for aquatic species that sustain local livelihoods and a “living storm-barrier” that reduces the risk of disaster from cyclones.

THE POOREST PEOPLE PAY THE PRICE

Though they have contributed least to the causes of global warming, the world’s poorest people will be most affected. This is because their livelihoods, such as subsistence farming, are especially sensitive to shifting rainfall patterns and other impacts of climate change. However, one of the most important factors shaping individuals’, communities’ and societies’ vulnerability is their access to and control over the natural, human, social, physical, political and financial resources required for adaptation. Their striking lack of these factors is a major reason why poor people – especially those in marginalised social groups like women, children and the elderly – are especially hard hit by climate change.

This point is best illustrated by the recent example of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, which claimed the lives of 140,000 people. The worst affected areas were typically inhabited by poor people, they had the least robust housing, and lacked access to those resources and supporting institutions (e.g. access to early warning systems, capacity to evacuate their properties quickly and resources to find alternative accommodation) that might have helped them avoid the worst impacts of the cyclone. Loss of assets left people even poorer and placed them at greater risk of impacts from future disasters.

Though no specific event like Cyclone Nargis can be directly attributed to climate change, it is clear that worsening patterns of extreme weather can be, and they are eroding hard-won development gains. Meanwhile, changes in the timing and total amount of rainfall are destroying rural economies dependent on simple farming and livestock herding.

MAKE USE OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

We must, therefore, assist the world’s poorest people to adapt to climate change. This includes technical support to ensure that their infrastructure investments are not swept away by extreme weather. It should also include help to integrate cutting-edge climate science into policy-making processes. However, national-level efforts like these must be complemented by people-centred action at grassroots level, which applies local knowledge to target and reduce the poor’s vulnerability to climate change. CARE takes this community-based and people-centred approach in its work. The work includes:

• Reducing the risk of disasters: Human-induced climate change is modifying patterns of extreme weather, including floods, cyclones and droughts. In many cases, climate change is making these hazards more intense, more frequent, less predictable and/or longer lasting. This magnifies the risk of “disasters” everywhere, but especially in those parts of the world where there are already high levels of human vulnerability. Establishing early warning systems, improved shelters, and food and seed banks are therefore critical to reducing the risk of disasters and minimising their long-term consequences. There needs to be greater investment in Disaster Risk Reduction now, especially in poor countries that have always been hazard hotspots but are experiencing an increase in extreme weather due to climate change.
  

• Making livelihoods more resilient: Of course, adaptation to climate change entails more than dealing with its catastrophic impacts. Though violent storms and other extreme events grab newspaper headlines, chronic changes – such as higher temperatures and chaotic rainfall patterns – pose an even bigger threat to poor people. Therefore, it is particularly important to help communities and local institutions make rural livelihoods more resilient to climate variability and slow onset changes. Activities can include the rejuvenation of appropriate traditional knowledge, the promotion of innovative agricultural practices and the diversification of income sources. 
  

• Strengthening local capacity: Local actors already have many of the skills, experience and relationships needed to counter the impacts of climate change. However, to make good use of these assets, their capacity to understand climate risks, identify appropriate adaptation measures, and integrate this knowledge into planning and decision-making processes needs to be strengthened. 
  

• Breaking down entrenched inequities and discriminatory power structures: Low levels of formal schooling, limited access to information, lack of decision-making power within their households and communities, as well as political marginalisation, are amongst the most serious constraints on poor people’s adaptive capacity. The world will have to overturn entrenched inequities and discriminatory power structures if poor people are to add their own solutions to the threats posed by climate change. We can help them by empowering women, enabling vulnerable groups to participate in local decision-making, insisting on transparent governance and full accountability, and ensuring equitable access to resources and essential services such as health and education.
  

POLITICAL ACTION NOW

How did we arrive at such a dangerous precipice? Climate change has been identified as a major threat for at least 30 years. For example, the first World Climate Conference in 1979 identified global warming as an urgent problem and issued a declaration calling on governments to take immediate remedial action. However, it was not until 1992 that 154 nations signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The treaty is intended to achieve “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”. Industrialised countries committed, but have failed spectacularly, to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000.

Next there was the Kyoto Protocol. It established legally binding emissions cuts (averaging a meagre 5.2%) for industrialised countries, which were to be achieved by 2010. Though the Protocol was established in 1997, it didn’t come into effect until 2005. The United States and a few other countries opted out of the Protocol, and few countries that did commit to it will actually achieve their reductions targets.

Clearly, not only sound science but also additional public pressure is required to convince governments of extent of the challenge the world faces. Each of us needs to let our local, state and national government leaders know that we expect them to take bold, immediate action to address the challenge – and that we will hold them accountable for doing so. To help make our voices heard, we should each support advocacy campaigns and participate in civic movements that reflect our concerns about global warming.

To enhance our impact, each of us may wish to identify a particular issue that we feel motivated to address, then, team-up with like-minded neighbours and civil society organisations (religious institutions, labour unions, non-profits, etc.) to press for action by government and businesses leaders. Some examples of issue areas include:

Mitigation targets and the switch to clean energy. The challenge is evident, but governments need to know their citizens will support big steps despite short-term costs. Government also needs to motivate businesses to cut emissions and encourage environmentally sound business practices.

The protection and conservation of forests. Forests play a key role in global warming because they store carbon. When forests are destroyed, they release this carbon into the atmosphere. Deforestation now accounts for about 20% of global carbon dioxide emissions each year.

Assisting especially vulnerable populations to adapt. The world’s poorest people will be the hardest hit by climate change despite having contributed least to the problem. Many people struggling to survive could be pushed over the brink. They need your help to address this profound injustice.

TAKE INDIVIDUAL ACTION

The climate is changing. Are you? Every one of us has to take responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and those of us with high-emissions lifestyles have a particular moral obligation to act. Each of us needs to be part of the solution to climate change. Here are some suggestions for getting started:

Become better informed: The more you learn about climate change, the more committed you will become to making a difference – and the better you will be at explaining your choices to others! Educate yourself about climate change and the things you can do to make a difference.

Reduce your personal environmental impact: While it is true that the solution to global warming requires government action, including funding, legislation and regulatory changes, and action by the private sector, individuals also have a critical role to play. In the words of Ghandi, each of us needs to “be the change we want to see in the world”. Begin by checking your own home and habits to identify opportunities for change – begin with easy corrections and then progress to more difficult ones.

Persuade others to do the same: We can beat climate change by acting together.

TURNING AMBITION INTO ACTION

An unprecedented degree of international cooperation is required if we are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to prevent dangerous levels of climate change. Fortunately, we know what is needed to overcome the political deadlock and build the required global political commitment.

First, the citizens and governments of wealthy, industrialised countries have to lead the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Only then will developing countries agree to shoulder their fair share of the burden.

Second, developed countries need to provide significant support to less developed countries to help them adapt to the effects of climate change. In the past, wealthier countries have focused almost entirely on reducing emissions in developing countries. For both practical and ethical reasons, equally strong commitments to support adaptation and address climate-related migration are necessary.

Governments around the world are increasingly acknowledging the need for these more equitable commitments. The urgent challenge is to follow through with concrete proposals that address the interactions between climate change and the chronic threats to humanity posed by poverty, conflict and inequality.

Climate change is a serious threat, but it is also an opportunity to mobilise individual, community and government, and multilateral action as never before. This is why CARE is constantly learning, innovating and collaborating in its efforts to help poor communities overcome the challenges posed by climate change. In this respect, the way we respond to the challenge may ultimately be as important as overcoming the challenge itself.