Pacific Magazine
UNDP’s
Human Development Report seeks to add a new dimension to the global
climate change debate – climate change will compound poverty and
vulnerability. It is estimated that a rise in global temperature in
excess of 2 degree centigrade will cause irreversible damage, and may
well reverse recent gains in Human Development.
The Human Development Report, Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World,
estimates that the world will have to cut emissions of greenhouse gases
by half by 2050, relative to 1990 levels, in order to avoid dangerous
and irreversible climate change. This will require rich countries to
cut emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050, with cuts of 30 per cent
by 2020. Emissions from developing countries are expected to peak
around 2020, and thereafter will need to effect reductions of 20 per
cent by 2050. Since the Kyoto Protocol, such targets and their relation
to economic growth have been hotly debated.
Pacific
people face the greatest risk of becoming poorer, getting displaced
from their homes and regressing in their development as a result of
climate change. While the Small Islands Developing States in the
Pacific are amongst the lowest carbon emitters, they will be the first
to suffer from climate change. In the next ten years if the average
temperature were to increase beyond two degrees Celsius sea level rises
will see a number of Pacific islands disappear from the face of the
map, the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development
Report 2007/2008 warns.
The report that was launched by the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Richard Dictus, in
“Many
coastal communities in the Pacific could be seriously affected by
rising sea levels and flooding caused by global temperature increases
of 3-4 degrees Celsius could result the permanent or temporary
displacement of people living in low-lying areas,” said Mr. Dictus.
Pacific
Island Countries are already susceptible to a range of natural hazards
such as cyclones, storm surges, droughts and flooding. Climate change
will see extreme events happen both more frequently and more
intensely. The Pacific is already experiencing the impact of more
extreme events such as tropical cyclones and storm surges. Coupled with
projected rates of sea-level rise and flooding, critical infrastructure
such as airports, port facilities, roads, vital utilities such as power
and water, coastal protection structures and tourism facilities as well
as social services such as health and education are being exposed to
increased risk.
Some examples include:
·
More
than 50% of Pacific islanders live within 1.5 km of the shoreline and
are particularly exposed to accelerated coastal erosion, saline
intrusion, coral reef bleaching and flooding.
·
In
·
Many
island people rely on fisheries as a source of food and income from
coral reef and mangrove habitats that are threatened by warming ocean
temperatures and sea level rise.
·
Tropical
cyclones amplify the threat from sea-level rise to vital infrastructure
in Pacific Island Countries. For example, a 0.5 m rise in sea level,
combined with a 1-in-50 year cyclone would cause major damage to port
facilities in
·
A
high island such as Viti Levu could experience average annual economic
losses from disruption to social services and infrastructure of $US23
to 52 million by 2050, equivalent to 2 to 4% of
Climate
change has been recognized as one of the largest threats to
development, this century. For the Pacific Island Countries, limited
land size and resources, isolation and vulnerability to natural
disasters exacerbate this threat
In the Pacific, carbon dioxide emission has annually changed from between 1990 to 2004 by 2.3% in
“It
is therefore very hard to accept that these will be the same countries
that will be so hard hit if the world does not significantly cuts the
emission of greenhouse gases,” said Mr. Dictus.
“The
proof that climate change is happening as we speak is based now on hard
scientific evidence. We can observe the changes ourselves and the
consequences are inescapable. The world community needs to take action
and the UN agencies in the Pacific are committing themselves to provide
support and assistance in any way they can,” he concluded.
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