The Daily Times
Helen Clark
We know what needs to be done, and we know we collectively face
choices. We can do nothing, or too little, or our world can take bold
actions together to confront the climate change challenge
A
few months ago, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame stated explicitly that
the continent’s future depends on what comes out of the climate change
negotiations.
He argued that Africa needs a strong climate deal,
and quickly, so that global emissions can be brought under control as
soon as possible. He also called for strong mechanisms to help the
continent move towards a low carbon growth path and to strengthen its
resilience to unavoidable impacts.
President Kagame hit the nail on the head.
We
know that the effects of climate change will hit the poorest and most
vulnerable first and hardest. That is why the new climate change deal
so many are working so hard for must also be a deal for development.
Fighting
poverty and protecting our planet must go hand-in-hand. Receding
forests, expanding deserts, changing rainfall patterns, and rising sea
levels trap people in hardship and undermine their future. Studies in
Ethiopia show that children exposed to drought in early childhood are
more likely to be malnourished five years later.
Because of
climate change, it is estimated that up to 600 million more people in
Africa could face malnutrition as agricultural systems break down; an
additional 1.8 billion people could face water shortage, especially in
Asia; and more than 70 million Bangladeshis, 22 million Vietnamese, and
six million Egyptians could be affected by climate-related flooding.
Worse, new scientific evidence indicates that ocean temperatures are
rising to record levels. That will put further stress on coastal
ecosystems and on the people depending on them for their survival.
Now is the time to push through both a vision and actions for a better, cleaner, and more sustainable world for us all.
We
have only one planet to live on. We must ensure that the way we live
and develop is consistent with keeping its ecosystems in balance. We
must collectively find a different, more sustainable, way to grow our
economies, and ensure that poor people and nations have the opportunity
to create a better life for themselves.
While climate change
presents great challenges, it also offers opportunities for us all to
move towards sustainable development. If nations can make progress at
the Copenhagen climate talks, that will lead to reductions in
emissions; the development of less carbon-intensive production and
consumption processes; directing climate financing to support global
economic growth; and setting the world’s poorer countries on inclusive
and sustainable pathways out of poverty.
The climate change negotiations must, at a minimum, take the following three developing country imperatives into account.
First,
developing countries must be able to develop and put in place what
their citizens need for a decent life. Unless people have at least
basic access to water, sanitation, food, and energy, as well as to
institutions which work and a way to have a say in the decisions which
affect their lives, they will not be able to cope with the additional
burden of a changing climate.
Second, people in developing
countries need targeted support to develop the capacity to adapt to
climate change — from the poor farmer who wants to grow more resilient
crops, to the family whose home must be able to withstand increased
flooding. This means helping countries to put climate change adaptation
at the heart of all their efforts to tackle poverty, with proper
attention paid to the needs of more vulnerable groups, including women
and indigenous people. Adaptation efforts must be flexible and
resilient enough to navigate the challenges which climate change may
pose in the future.
Third, developing countries need the support
of partners to move along a low-carbon development pathway. They need
better access to carbon financing to pay for that, and the skills to
put that money to work where it is needed. That includes driving
private and public finance towards cleaner investments in energy,
transport, and other infrastructure and in industry.
If
developing countries are assisted in these ways, they will be able to
contribute to global efforts to tackle climate change while also
pursuing the development to which their people aspire.
Sealing
a new climate change agreement will require unwavering political will,
so that national interests do not obstruct achieving what is best for
our planet as a whole. If the deal reached is also a deal for
development, we could set the stage for future generations to live in
greater peace and prosperity across our world. We need to invest up
front now, to protect our climate and the lives of all of us and our
descendants.
We know what needs to be done, and we know we
collectively face choices. We can do nothing, or too little, or our
world can take bold actions together to confront the climate change
challenge.
This December, in Copenhagen, I hope we will, collectively, summon the courage to act.
Helen
Clark is Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. She
is also chair of the United Nations Development Group. Prior to her
appointment with UNDP, she served for nine years as Prime Minister of
New Zealand
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