The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis

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64 Forum 2009: Climate Change – The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis Incidentally, the 20 least vulnerable countries to climate change (emitting 39 percent of global carbon in 2004) are all developed nations with Uruguay as the sole exception. 202 In comparison, the top 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change in 2004, 15 of which are in Africa, collectively emitted less than 0.7 percent of total carbon emissions. 202 Altogether African countries emitted only 4 percent of all carbon — 2.6 percent if South Africa is excluded. The same is true for small island states. Haiti is extremely vulnerable to climate change yet emits only 0.01 percent of total carbon emissions. The Comoros Islands off the East African coast release one of the smallest amounts of carbon in the world but is rated as the country which is the most vulnerable to climate change. Difficult climate justice issues: high growth, deforestation and black soot Developed nations bear the most responsibility for climate change, but there is an increasing number of cases where low and middle income countries also contribute significantly to climate change. The top 20 emitters of carbon included large and rapidly industrializing nations like China, India, Republic of Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Indonesia, and Brazil. 200 These countries often have rich natural resources and are experiencing fast economic growth. Often they find it difficult to achieve sustainable policies as they do not always have access to appropriate and affordable technologies. These are countries where climate justice issues are becoming particularly acute but also sensitive — being both large emitters and highly vulnerable to climate change. Deforestation is another activity which raises significant climate justice issues. While fossil fuel usage is the largest single contributor to global carbon emissions producing climate change (coal alone accounts for roughly 20 percent of global emissions), 203 deforestation also plays a major role, accounting for over 25 percent of global emissions. 204 A majority of deforestation is carried out by slashing and burning (54 percent) and the remainder constitutes of cattle ranching (5 percent), heavy logging (19 percent) and the growing palm oil industry (22 percent), an industry projected to grow due to its use in biofuel production. 205,206 In just one day, deforestation generates as much CO 2 as 8 million people flying from London to New York. 204 As of 2003, two billion tons of CO 2 were linked to deforestation activities that led to the destruction of 50 million acres — an area roughly the size of England, Wales and Scotland. 204 Rapid deforestation prioritizes immediate economic output in favour of natural wealth preservation. This has also been the case historically: 500 years ago almost half of the United States, three-quarters of Canada and almost all of Europe were forested. 207 The majority of remaining forests globally are located in high growth nations such as Brazil, Indonesia and China but also in developing countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. 208 In 2004, almost 1 percent 209 of global carbon emissions were generated by clearing and burning the Amazon rainforest. 199,210 Deforestation depletes natural resources permanently and leaves the land exposed to environmental disasters, including those associated with climate change.
The human impact of climate change – Already serious today 65 Poverty can be a driver of practices that contribute to climate change. Black carbon from the soot released from cooking stoves is one example. Under-ventilated fireplaces and primitive cooking appliances not only have negative health impacts almost exclusively born by women, from smoke inhalation and respiratory illnesses, but also hurt the environment. While carbon dioxide is the number one cause of climate change — responsible for about 40 percent of warming — black carbon from soot is fast emerging as a large contributor to climate change, causing as much as 18 percent of warming. 211 These findings are so recent that they were not covered in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. 65 Nevertheless, soot from fireplaces in tens of thousands of villages in developing countries is the primary contributor to black carbon. 212 Often those who depend on these cooking stoves to prepare staple foods do not have access to affordable alternatives. A solution of this difficult situation would also have a global benefit. Providing affordable alternatives could have a fast impact on curbing global warming, as unlike CO 2 which lingers in the atmosphere for years, soot only remains for a few weeks. 213
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Human Impact Report Climate Change
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Introduction Kofi A. Annan, Preside
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iii Forum 2009: Climate Change —
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Climate change is here. It has a hu
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