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CLIMATE CHANGE SET TO OVERWHELM THE WORLD’S POOR

Friday, March 30, 2007
Posted in Environment | Tagged Environment

Brussels, 29 March 2007 - On 6 April, the world’s leading scientific experts are to gather in
Brussels to launch the second volume of the UN’s Fourth Assessment Report, which addresses
climate impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. The report is expected to portray a bleak future
for the world’s poorest countries, which have done least to pollute the atmosphere. Despite the
negligible historical emissions of greenhouse gases by the least developed countries, their
people will suffer most from climate change, as they are the most vulnerable to the impacts and
least able to adapt [1].

The second volume of the Fourth Assessment Report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), Working Group II provides the starkest warning yet on the threat of global
climate change and predicts the severe consequences the planet will face unless world leaders
take urgent action to cut emissions of greenhouse gases.

Friends of the Earth International’s Climate Campaigner, Catherine Pearce, said:
“The scientific findings are stronger than ever. This report is likely to confirm that not only
are we seeing the impacts of climate change around us already, but worse is yet to come and the
world’s poorest people are being hardest hit.

“The industrialised world, including the USA, must lead the way by making significant cuts in
their greenhouse gas emissions and helping less developed countries to develop sustainable,
low-carbon economies.

“Current efforts on adaptation, including available funds are clearly inadequate to meet the
scale of what is required. Urgent assistance is needed for those developing countries, which
have done nothing to contribute to the current threat of climate change and are already facing
the devastating effects.”

“In Bali this December, countries must launch negotiations for a more effective and stronger
second round of the Kyoto agreement on climate change, which must start in 2013.”

Last month EU leaders pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels
by 2020. They promised to increase this to 30 percent, if other developed countries did the
same.

Roger Higman, Friends of the Earth’s Head of Campaign Coordination in the UK, said:
“Europe is one of the regions most to blame for climate change. Now, it must cut its emissions
and persuade other rich countries to match its call for 30 percent emissions cuts by 2020
through a strong international agreement for the next Kyoto commitment period.”

The UN report - the second of a series based on the latest scientific literature - analyses how
climate change is affecting natural and human systems, what the impacts will be and how far
adaptation and mitigation can reduce the impacts. The report, which has taken six years to
compile, draws on research by 2,500 scientists from over 130 countries and should shock the
world into taking urgent action to reduce global emissions.

Government delegates from more than 100 countries are expected to agree that hundreds of
millions of people are vulnerable to flooding due to sea level rise, especially in densely
populated and low-lying settlements which already face other challenges, such as tropical
storms.

The UN report is also expected to warn that projected climate change is likely to affect
millions of people through increases in malnutrition, deaths, disease and injury due to heat
waves, floods, storms, fires and droughts.

Worryingly, scientists are also expected to state that over the next half-century it is very
likely that climate change will impede the achievement of the U.N. Millennium Development
Goals. [2]

[1] IPCC official website: http://www.ipcc.ch/
[2] For more information on the Millennium Development Goals see
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
[3] A series of short articles on climate change available online at:
http://www.foei.org/climate/pacific.html

TESTIMONIES:

FROM NIGERIA:
“Climate Change in Nigeria is a ticking time bomb as there is little or no action aimed at
mitigating its impacts,” according to Nnimmo Bassey of ERA in Nigeria. For more information:
Tel: +234 8037274395

FROM GHANA:
“A devastating sea erosion is taking place along the Ada coast in Ghana and is under-reported
by the media. Over 5,000 metres of land had been submerged and there is a serious risk that the
whole Ada land would be submerged in the short term. Coastal dwellers claim that the very
existence of about 50 communities is under threat. It is absolutely essential to have a legally
binding and effective global adaptation fund to address the urgent adaptation needs in less
developed countries and small island states,” according to Erasmus Aborley in Ghana. For more
information: Tel: +233-21-286123 and +233-21-512312

FROM HAITI:
“One of the major impacts of climate change on small island states is the loss of biodiversity
and its benefits. Due to their limited resources, climate-change related catastrophes
negatively affect those states’ capacity to limit damages, prevent epidemics and rebuilt
infrastructure, economies and communities in the long term.” according to Aldrin Calixte of
Friends of the Earth Haiti. For more information: Tel: +509-4019684 or +509-7337377

FROM PERU:
“Glaciers in Peru are melting fast, bringing floods and destruction locally but also negatively
affecting energy generation and water resources nationally. In Peru, 60% of the population and
70% of the productive activities are located on the coast, a desert strip whose water provision
depends almost entirely on the mountain area. In addition, 70% of the electricity supply comes
from that area. It is estimated that in next the 10 years all the glaciers below 5500m will
disappear, meaning not only the disappearance of the water supply for human consumption, but
also strong negative impacts on the national energy situation, and the economy, ” according to
Mar�a Teresa Colque Pinelo of Friends of the Earth Per�. For more information: Tel: + 51 54
781816

FROM MAURITIUS:
“Small island developing states ( SIDS) are ecologically the most fragile and vulnerable to the
impacts of climate change and natural disasters.� These countries are particularly fragile to
climate variability and climate change is having profound effects on the economic and social
conditions of coastal populations. Cyclones and climate change are taking a direct toll on the
economy of these countries and negatively impact particularly subsistence farmers and artisanal
fishermen (hence increasing poverty), creating food and water shortages and health problems.
Due to their small size, islands like Mauritius are particularly exposed to climate change and
have no defense against this phenomenon,” according to Rajen Awotar, Executive Chairman FOE
Mauritius / MAUDESCO. For more information: Tel: + 230 425-2417

FROM AUSTRALIA:
“Australia is the hottest and most water scarce continent in the world. Drought and bushfires
have been part of our history. Climate change is making Australia hotter and drier. It is clear
to anyone who is paying attention to the issue of global warming that there is a historical
liability by the developed nations. Having created a disproportionate amount of greenhouse
gases for many decades, which has allowed us to develop our economy, it would be extremely mean
spirited for Australia not to commit to deep cuts in emissions as a way of acknowledging our
historic and contemporary carbon debt. The developed world has benefited from our use of fossil
fuels; the onus is now on us to make deep cuts while also helping other nations to do the
same,” said Cam Walker for Friends of the Earth Australia. For more information: +61- 419 338
047

CANADA:
“Canadians are clearly living with impacts of climate chaos and can expect more - milder
winters are responsible for the ravages of western forests from the pine beetle and melting
permafrost.� Severe and extreme weather is already linked with premature death, illness and
violence in our big cities. Vulnerable Canadians including senior citizens and those living
with fixed income, low incomes or job loss are least able to cope with the increasing impacts
we can expect from the warming climate.� The upcoming IPCC report should be a clarion call to
action by public health officials,” said Beatrice Olivastri, Chief Executive Officer, Friends
of the Earth Canada. For more information: Tel: + 1 613 241-0085 Ext. 26