The Star, Malaysia
By TAN CHENG LI
EVEN with the most stringent
measures to mitigate climate
change, the world will continue to
warm for the first half of this century,
thanks to all the greenhouse
gases spewed a century ago with
the advent of industrialisation that
still lingers in the atmosphere.
Hence many of us in our lifetime
will feel the effects of global
warming; there is no alternative
but to adapt to these changes.
Rich countries, recognising the
need to adjust to future climatic
shocks, are investing heavily in climate-
defence infrastructure.
Britain spends US$1.2bil (RM4.2bil) annually on flood defences. Many in the Netherlands are investing in homes that can float on water. The Swiss alpine ski industry is investing in artificial snow-making machines.
Developing countries, however, face far more severe adaptation challenges. In the Horn of Africa, “adaptation” means that women and young girls walk further to collect water. In the Ganges Delta, people are erecting bamboo flood shelters on stilts. And in the Mekong Delta, people are planting mangroves to protect themselves against storm surges, and women and children are being taught to swim. In Bangladesh, there are efforts to construct homes on earthen platforms and provide hand pumps and latrines to secure clean water and sanitation for dwellers in low-lying areas prone to floods.
Yet, the finance needed to support such practical initiatives to protect the poor is often not available, says the latest United Nations Development Fund Human Development Report titled Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world. The total current spending through multilateral funds on adaptation in developing countries amounts to US$26mil (RM91mil) – roughly what Britain spends a week on its flood defences.
This is nowhere near sufficient, says the report, and it calls on developed countries to support a new global investment of US$86bil (RM301bil) annually, or 0.2% of northern countries’ combined gross domestic product, in adaptation efforts to climate-proof infrastructure and build the resilience of the poor to the effects of climate change.
“The world’s poor cannot be left
to sink or swim with their own
resources while rich countries
protect their citizens behind climate-
defence fortifications. Social
justice and respect of human
rights demand stronger international
commitment,” says the
report.
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