By Jennifer Morgan
20/06/2005 - Reducing debt, lifting trade
barriers and increasing aid are all necessary
to reduce poverty in Africa. But one key element
is missing from the equation – tackling climate
change.
Africa, poverty reduction and climate change
are all on the agenda when leaders of the
world’s richest nations meet in Scotland to
attend the G8 Summit. The question remains
whether they will have the political will
to set a new course of action on combating
global warming and the effect it has on millions
of people and wildlife species.
The consensus view of thousands of scientists
around the world is that most of the warming
seen since the middle of the last century
is due to human activities. Over the last
200 years, the amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere – the major gas that causes
climate change – has increased by 30 per cent.
This is mainly due to the burning of coal,
gas and oil.
Retreating glaciers in the Himalayas and
Alps, sinking islands caused by rising sea
temperatures, and icebergs floating adrift
in the North and South Poles are common images
associated with global warming – most of which
are out of sight and mind of peoples’ daily
lives and concerns. But, the impacts of global
warming are evident just about everywhere.
Although it is the richest countries in the
world which have caused a disproportionate
amount of greenhouse gas emissions, it is
the poorer countries that are paying the price.
In particular, it is being felt on a continent
already ravaged by war, AIDS, drought and
famine. According to the United Nation’s Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, Africa is most vulnerable
to the impacts of projected change because
widespread poverty limits adaptation capabilities.
Small-scale farming produces most of the
food in Africa and employment for a majority
of the working population. These simple facts,
coupled with farming being almost totally
dependent on direct rainfall, mean that Africa
is exceptionally vulnerable to the uncertainties
and weather extremes of global warming.
In the near future, climate change is estimated
to place an additional 80-120 million people
at risk of hunger; 70 to 80 per cent of these
will be in Africa. Poor people, especially
those living in marginal environments and
in areas with low agricultural productivity
in Africa, depend directly on genetic, species
and ecosystem diversity to support their livelihoods.
As a result of this dependency, any impact
that climate change has on natural systems
threatens the livelihoods, food intake and
health of poor people. It will also undermine
the ambitious targets set out in the Millennium
Development Goals set by the international
community in 2000.
We know from scientists that there is a threshold
beyond which the impacts become irreversible
for ecosystems and many communities around
the world – a global average of 2°C in
comparison with pre-industrial levels. To
keep global warming beneath a 2°C ceiling,
as agreed by many leading scientists, industrialized
countries must slash CO2 emissions by 80 per
cent by mid-century, with global emissions
cut by 50 per cent over the same period.
This is clearly a big challenge, but achievable
with political will. If nothing is done we
are likely to close out options to protect
people and wildlife in Africa and around the
world from destruction of their livelihoods
and environment.
Due to the scale and urgency of the problem,
there are high expectations for G8 leaders
to send a clear signal that they: recognize
that the science is clear and warrants an
immediate response; commit to a solid set
of policies to reduce emissions in the short,
medium and long-terms; and launch an ambitious
energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative
to ensure climate and energy security. Each
is key and must move forward as a platform.
It is time for a visionary, responsible management
of the global climate. The outcomes of the
G8 Summit must not be about a lowest common
denominator to achieve consensus. Rather it
must make the right choice and set the world
forward on a low carbon future, one that current
generations are demanding and future generations
will be thankful for.
Jennifer Morgan is the director of the global
climate change program at WWF, the global
conservation organization.
This opinion editorial appeared in the Environmental
News Network (ENN) on 20 June 2005.
