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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13042642/00001
Notes
- Summary:
- This document is concerned with the impacts of global climate change on the developing world, positing adaptation to climate change as a critical step towards the poverty reduction and sustainable development objectives emphasized in the Millennium Development Goals. The report conveys two important messages. First, that climate change and poverty are intrinsically linked, with negative effects of climate change such as sea level rise, increased temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns, and increases in the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and storms impacting poor communities in developing countries disproportionately. Poor communities are particularly threatened by climate change because often its impacts are superimposed onto existing vulnerabilities. Not only are they more vulnerable because of their higher dependence on natural resources, but they often lack the human, institutional, and financial capacities to cope with the direct and indirect effects of climate variability. Climate change will likely intensify the desperation for access to drinking water and arable land in many parts of the developing world, negatively impacting the wellbeing of potentially millions of poor people around the globe. In terms of vulnerability to climate related disasters, over 96% of disaster-related deaths in the past few years have been in developing countries. Second, the document establishes the mainstreaming of adaptation measures into development planning as critical to an effective response to climate change and the threats it poses to sustainable development. Drawing on good practices from around the developing world, the document touches on how to address vulnerability in the context of sustainable livelihoods, thus strengthening the capacity of the poor to adapt to climate change. The authors emphasize that efforts to reduce the negative impacts of climate change on development should be parallel to efforts to reduce the magnitude and rate of climate change through the limiting of greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation does not only involve addressing threats posed by hazards, but also addressing the root causes of vulnerability, and thus should be complemented by improving governance, institutional strength, natural resource management, and public financing mechanisms. It also involves building upon knowledge and coping strategies currently utilized by the poor, such as traditional risk sharing mechanisms, which could be strengthened by the development of micro-insurance approaches.
- Subject:
- Poverty
- Subject:
- Environment
- Citation/Reference:
- Sperling, F. (ed). (2003). Poverty and climate change: reducing the vulnerability of the poor through adaptation. AfDB, ADB, DFID, EuropeAid, BMZ, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs—Development Cooperation, OECD, UNDP, UNEP, and the World Bank.
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
- Resource Identifier:
- FI13042642
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