Guest Post by Sue Preziotti
The UN announced this past weekend that its annual climate talks hosted in Cancun, Mexico, have resulted in an agreement to help developing countries deal with the effects of climate change and to plan and build their own sustainable futures.
The “Cancun Agreements” will launch institutes and initiatives to deploy money and technology. Elements include $30 billion in fast start finance from industrialized countries for support up to 2012, and the intention to raise $100 billion in long-term financing by 2020. Other measures include design of a new Green Climate Fund; countering forest degradation and its effects; and establishing methods to report progress.
The annual meeting was not successful, however, in bringing about a new international treaty for deeper reductions in carbon emissions, following previously contentious efforts in Copenhagen last year. It was hailed, though, as having set a strong foundation and renewed hope for future discussions.
“The beacon of hope has been reignited and faith in the multilateral climate change process to deliver results has been restored,” said Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, the 194-party treaty organization.
In urging industrial countries to move faster on emissions cuts, the Cancun Agreements do note that scientists recommend reducing emissions from industrial countries by 25 to 40 per cent from 1990 levels within the next 10 years.
“Governments have given a clear signal that they are headed towards a low-emissions future together,” said Figueres.
Why Climate Action Needed in Developing Countries
For the developing world, the Cancun Agreements are an important step that couldn’t have come soon enough. According to Katherine Shea MD, MPH, UNC Chapel Hill Institute for the Environment, global warming is wreaking a specific and immediate health toll on many in the developing world. A lead author on the 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Technical Report and Policy Statement on Global Climate, Dr. Shea says that children in low income countries bear the largest burden.
Speaking at a recent environmental health symposium, Dr. Shea noted that 150,000 deaths annually are attributed to climate change. The estimate includes deaths as a result of extreme weather conditions, which may be increasing, according to the World Health Organization. She discussed potential scenarios linked to weather changes -– flooding and drought affect crop yields and water supply, creating food and water insecurity. This in turn can drive poverty, hunger, and desperate mass migration. Also, changes in temperature and precipitation have been linked to transmission patterns for many diseases, including diarrhea and malaria. And, naturally, efforts towards building economic capacity and sustainable development are blunted by these scenarios.
Dr. Shea asserts that actions need to be taken at all levels of global society to adapt to the current effects of global warming and to mitigate a worsening situation. She suggested visiting www.350.org, a global network of organizations moving to solve the climate crisis, for more info or to get involved.
# # #
References
UNFCC press release http://unfccc.int/files/press/news_room/press_releases_and_advisories/application/pdf/pr_20101211_cop16_closing.pdf
WHO (HELI) “Climate Change” http://www.who.int/heli/risks/climate/climatechange/en/index.html
AAP Policy Statement & Report http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;120/5/1149
Additional Resources
Dr. Shea symposium remarks and powerpoint at “Children First: Promoting Ecological Health for the Whole Child” http://childrenfirstsymposium.wordpress.com/about/
WHO “Global Climate Change: Comparative Quantification of Health Risks” http://www.who.int/publications/cra/chapters/volume2/1543-1650.pdf
The New York Times Science, Topics, Global Warming http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier#
