Climate change threatens enormous development reversals

ISLAMABAD—The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report on Wednesday warned that the world should focus on the development impact of climate change that could bring unprecedented reversals in poverty reduction, nutrition, health and education.
The failure to tackle climate change could leave future generations facing ecological catastrophe such as erosion of ecosystems, water insecurity and extreme weather conditions.
The Report says fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world provides a stark account of the threat posed by global warming. It argues that the world is drifting towards a “tipping point” that could lock the world’s poorest countries and their poorest citizens in a downward spiral, leaving hundreds of millions facing malnutrition, water scarcity, and a loss of livelihoods.
“Ultimately, climate change is a threat to humanity as a whole. But it is the poor, a constituency with no responsibility for the ecological debt we are running up, who face the immediate and most severe human costs,” commented UNDP Administrator, Kemal Dervis. Presently 40% of the world’s population lives below the poverty line which means that an estimated 2.6 billion people will be adversely impacted by climate change. In his remarks, Alvaro Rodriguez, Country Director UNDP stated that “Temperature rises of above two degrees Celsius could see the disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers that provide water and food for over two billion people.
Accelerated glacial melt in the Himalayas will compound already severe ecological problems across this region. In Pakistan it will initially increase floods before reducing the flow of water to major river systems vital for irrigation. Significantly, during 2005, Pakistan faced temperatures 5-6°C above the regional average. Climate models simulate agricultural yield losses of 6-9 percent for wheat with a 1°C increase in temperature, he added. “ Among other risks, the report highlights that climate change poses threats to human health with the developing countries being seriously affected because of high levels of poverty and the limited capacity of public health systems to respond. An additional 220-400 million people could be exposed to malaria-a disease that already claims around 1 million lives annually. The incidence of dengue fever could also rise as a result of climate change.
It calls for a “twin track” approach that combines stringent mitigation to limit 21st Century warming to less than 2°C (3.6°F), with strengthened international cooperation on adaptation. On mitigation, on the developed countries are urged to demonstrate leadership by cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% of 1990 levels by 2050.
The report comes at a key moment in negotiations to forge a multilateral agreement for the period after 2012-the expiry date for the current commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.—Online