The 21st Century climate challenge

oad umbrella, rich countries are requiredto support developing countries that areparticularly vulnerable to the adverse effects ofclimate change, building their adaptive capacityand providing financial assistance. 52Northern governments have not honouredthe spirit of the UNFCCC commitment. Whileinvesting heavily in adaptation at home theyhave failed to support parallel investments indeveloping countries. Increasingly, the world isdivided between countries that are developinga capacity to adapt to climate change, and thosethat are not.Inequalities in climate change adaptationcannot be viewed in isolation. They willinteract with wider inequalities in income,health, education and basic human security.At any given level of climate change risk,countries with the most limited adaptationcapacity will suffer the most adverse impactson human development and economic growth.The danger is that inequalities in adaptationwill reinforce wider drivers of marginalization,holding back efforts to forge a more inclusivemodel of globalization.Enhanced international cooperation cannotguarantee effective adaptation or substitutefor national political leadership. What it cando is help create an environment that enablesdeveloping countries to act and empowersvulnerable people, building the resilience neededto prevent increased risk from translating intogreater vulnerability.The case for international actionWhy should the world’s richest countries supportthe efforts of its poorest countries to adapt toclimate change? The human development casefor urgent international action is rooted in theethical, social and economic implications of ourecological interdependence. Four considerationsmerit special emphasis.Shared values‘Think of the poorest person you have everseen,’ said Gandhi, ‘and ask if your next actwill be of any use to him.’ That injunctioncaptures a basic idea: namely, that the trueethical test of any community lies not in itswealth but in how it treats its most vulnerablemembers. Turning a blind eye to theadaptation needs of the world’s poor wouldnot meet the criterion for ethical behaviourset by Gandhi, or any other ethical criteria.Whatever the motivation for action—aconcern for the environment, religious values,secular humanism or human rights—actionon climate change adaptation by developedcountries is an ethical imperative.The Millennium Development GoalsThe MDGs have galvanized unprecedentedefforts to address the needs of the world’spoorest people. The time-bound targetsfor 2015—ranging from halving extremepoverty and hunger to providing universaleducation, cutting child deaths and promotinggreater gender equity—have been embracedby governments, civil society and majordevelopment institutions. While the MDGsare not a complete human development agenda,they reflect a sense of urgency and define a set ofshared priorities. With climate change alreadyimpacting on the lives of the poor, enhancedadaptation is a requirement for supportingprogress to the 2015 targets. In the worldbeyond 2015, climate change will act as a brakeon human development, holding back or evenreversing human progress until mitigation startsto take effect. Scaling up adaptation to counterthat threat should be seen as a part of the post-2015 strategy for building on the achievementsof the MDG process. Failure to act onadaptation would rapidly erode what will havebeen achieved by then. It would be inconsistentwith a commitment to the MDGs.Common interestWhile the most immediate victims of climatechange and failed adaptation will be the world’spoor, the fall-out will not respect the neatdivides of national borders. Climate changehas the potential to create humanitariandisasters, ecological collapse and economicdislocation on a far greater scale than we seetoday. Rich countries will not be immuneto the consequences. Mass environmentalThe human developmentcase for urgent internationalaction is rooted in theethical, social and economicimplications of our ecologicalinterdependence4Adapting to the inevitable: national action and international cooperationHUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2007/2008 185