Climate action needsto gear up, nowThe climate is changing fast – and global society must transform quickly tokeep pace. Linking people to share climate and development solutions is vital© S A Wager/FotosearchThe climate is bound to keep changing in the decades to come, with warming trendsprojected across most world regions. These will affect the poorest the mostSam BickerstethChief Executive, Climate andDevelopment KnowledgeNetwork (CDKN)Climate change is happening, and affects the poorest the mostThe impacts of climate change are all around us. During the past 50years, the atmosphere and oceans have warmed, the amounts ofsnow and ice have shrunk, sea levels have risen. 1Climate impacts add to the burden of people living in poverty.People’s health is affected by heat stress, and their livelihoods are harmedby poorer harvests and damage to homes and businesses. They areaffected indirectly, by higher prices for food and other essentials.Droughts in the 1970s and 1980s, followed by recurrent droughtsand floods in the 1990s and 2000s, destroyed crops and worsened foodsecurity problems in the Sahel. Scientists have linked these extremes withclimate change. 2 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)has issued its starkest warning yet that human emissions of greenhousegases are to blame for global warming. 3 But if human activities havelargely caused climate disruption, then human ingenuity can get us out ofthis predicament, too.Around the world, governments, businesses, communities andindividuals are pioneering development solutions that are compatible withthe changing climate. To meet the scale of the global challenge, theseemerging lessons must be shared effectively to effect broader, positivechange. This mission is at the heart of the Climate and DevelopmentKnowledge Network (CDKN)’s work.Embracing the ‘green economy’ will pay dividends nowand in the futureAdapting to climate change is essential. The climate is bound to keepchanging for decades to come, even if we stop emitting greenhouse gasestoday, because of climatic factors beyond our control.The poor are most vulnerable to climate change impacts, so reducingsocial inequalities, and improving access to basic services like water,sanitation, education and health can increase resilience to climate change.
SPONSORED FEATURETackling the root causes of climate change is equally important.Reducing and avoiding harmful greenhouse gas emissions means slashingfossil fuel use and adopting cleaner, more efficient technologies acrossthe global economy.The costs are less than we might think. ‘Business as usual’development would result in global consumption growth of 1.6–3% ayear. Taking ambitious climate mitigation measures would reduce thisconsumption growth by around 0.06 percentage points per year overthe 21st century. 4 This is before we account for the many, positiveeconomic and social benefits of low emissions development, like creatingsustainable jobs, reducing traffic congestion, indoor and outdoor airpollution, or reducing a country’s dependence on fuel imports.The message is clear: we can fight climate change and still prosper,but the sooner we act, the less costly mitigation action will be.© Abbie Trayler-Smith/Panos“The message is clear: we can fight climatechange and still prosper, but the sooner weact, the less costly mitigation action will be”Knowledge is powerMaking the transition to a lower-emissions, more climate-resilient futurecalls for a new way of thinking. Knowledge networks will play a key role indiffusing new approaches and catalysing action. This is the Climate andDevelopment Knowledge Network (CDKN)’s business.• We support our partners to innovate.• Together, we measure and reduce carbon emissions and reduceclimate-related risks.• We spark new thinking and practice in climate-friendly investments.• We facilitate new partnerships among communities, businessesand government leaders to design and deliver climate-compatiblepolicies, and share learning.CDKN is an alliance of Southern and Northern organisations thatcombines research, advisory services and knowledge-sharing in supportof locally owned and managed policy processes.From flower companies in Kenya, to state government officials inIndia, to civil society in Latin America: all are working in partnership withCDKN to plan and resource development that can deal with current andfuture climate change.Sharing information can ultimately save lives. In Senegal and Kenya,we’ve supported meteorological agencies to broadcast seasonal weatherforecasts to remote areas. This has helped farmers to plant their seedsat the right time and harvest a good crop, even as rainfall patterns arechanging. In Ahmedabad, India, we supported South Asia’s first HeatAction Plan. Now city workers help move vulnerable residents into coolerenvironments during heatwaves, which is averting premature deaths.In 2015, we hope to see effective, coherent and progressive globalpolicy frameworks emerge for international development, disastermanagement and climate change. We find that the mission of CDKN hasnever been more important. Our results show that action can be taken totransform lives, livelihoods and economies, making them more resilientand prepared for a low carbon future.Development of renewable energy can boost access to energy indeveloping countries as well as improving countries’ energy security1. IPCC (2013). Physical Science of Climate Change, Summary for Policy Makers.2. IPCC (2014). Climate Change: Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation, Summary forPolicy Makers.3. IPCC (2013). Physical Science of Climate Change, Summary for Policy Makers.4. IPCC (2014). Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Chapter 10.
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