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

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70 Forum 2009: Climate Change – The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis nations, has estimated that $67 billion is needed annually from 2020 onwards for adaptation efforts in developing countries like building stronger defenses against rising sea levels and developing droughtresistant crops. 226 It is important to note that adaptation financing estimates are supplemental to existing overseas development aid needs related to broader sustainable development and mitigation efforts. For example, African nations further project that $200 billion annually is necessary to curb rising greenhouse gases by improving energy efficiency and switching to renewable energy sources each year from 2020 onwards. 226 While these costs are high, the cost of adaptation is far less than the cost of inaction. The Stern Report estimated the cost of ignoring climate change at more than that of the two World Wars and the Great Depression, or 5-20 percent of GDP. 44 There are a few cases that provide a glimmer of hope. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s National Adaptation Programmes of Action provides a process for Least Developed Countries to identify priority climate change adaptation activities. 227 Samoa has been hailed for their 2005 NAPA and implementation efforts — expected to cost $2 million, aimed at reducing vulnerability to increase resilience through close collaboration with local communities. 228 As over 70 percent of Samoa’s population and infrastructure are located in low-lying coastal zones, Samoan focus areas include: coastal ecosystems, coastal protection, community water supply, forests, health and climate related diseases, early warning systems, agriculture, and disaster risk reduction. Bangladesh is an example of a state that has successfully invested in disaster preparedness to reduce the detrimental impacts of climate related disasters. It is among the countries most naturally vulnerable to climate change but numerous steps have been taken over the past few years to become better prepared, and thus, less vulnerable. Efforts have paid off — Cyclone Sidr hit the low lying, densely populated coastal areas of Bangladesh in 2007, but disaster preparation measures such as early warning systems and storm-proof houses kept the death toll to 3,400 and limited the economic damages to $1.6 billion. 229 In comparison, the highly populated delta region of the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar was not prepared for Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and the human consequences were over forty times greater — 146,000 people died, over 2 million people became homeless and damages equalled around $4 billion. 230 In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina caught many in New Orleans by surprise and caused damage in the range of $100 billion. 62,63 “ Climate change impacts are affecting the poorest groups of people the most, so building resilience through community-based adaptation in vulnerable and poor communities is crucial.” Saleemul Huq — Senior Fellow, Climate Change, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), London
The human impact of climate change – Already serious today 71 Climate Impact Witness Pablo Huerta Mandez, Peru is a farmer on the Andean slopes. To make better use of its limited water supply, the community has built a concrete reservoir costing USD 1,500. With this, and a new drip irrigation system, they use 1/7 of the water they used to. “But it barely rains, now. Year by year it’s less and less. I’ve farmed here for 10 years and there is more heat, which affects the plants and causes plagues. If the weather continues like this, maybe people will only be able to cultivate half their land. The flow might decrease, and water might dry out because of the heat. We’re very worried about climate change. The drip irrigation is very useful, and more profitable. It prevents erosion, and we have seen an improvement in our crops. We have a better income and larger harvests.“ It is this more efficient use of water which is helping farmers cope with less water, and which farmers across Peru will need to adopt as the impact of climate change becomes increasingly apparent. Source: Oxfam
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Human Impact Report Climate Change
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Introduction Kofi A. Annan, Preside
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Climate change is here. It has a hu
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The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis

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