From UNDP
Human Development Report 2007/2008
Fighting climate change: Human
solidarity in a divided world
Cover
[134 KB]
Foreword,
Acknowledgments and Contents [289 KB]
Overview
- Fighting climate change: human solidarity in a divided world [267
KB]
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. We are faced now with the
fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fi erce urgency of now. In this
unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late…We may
cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and
rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are
written the pathetic words: Too late.”
Martin Luther King Jr. ‘Where do we go from here: chaos or community’, 1968
Chapter
1 - The 21st Century climate challenge [1,203 KB]
Easter Island in the Pacific
Ocean is one of the most remote locations on Earth.
Th e gigantic stone statues located in the Rono Raraku volcanic crater are all that remain
of what was a complex civilization. That civilization disappeared because of the
over-exploitation of environmental resources. Competition between rival clans led
to rapid deforestation, soil erosion and the destruction of bird populations, undermining
the food and agricultural systems that sustained human life. The warning
signs of impending destruction were picked up too late to avert collapse.
Chapter
2 - Climate shocks: risk and vulnerability in an unequal world [1,361
KB]
Climate science deals in measurement.
Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are weighed
in tonnes and gigatonnes. Concentrations of
greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere
are monitored in parts per million (ppm).
Confronted with the data, it is easy to lose
sight of the human face of the people who are
most vulnerable to climate change—people
such as those quoted above.
The human face of climate change cannot
be captured and packaged in statistics. Many of
the current impacts are impossible to separate
from wider pressures. Others will happen in the
future. There is uncertainty about the location,
timing and magnitude of these impacts. However,
uncertainty is not a cause for complacency. We
know that climate-related risks are a major cause
of human suff ering, poverty and diminished
opportunity. We know that climate change is
implicated. And we know that the threat will
intensify over time. In chapter 1 we identify catastrophic
future risks for the whole of humanity as
one of the most powerful grounds for urgent action
in tackling climate change. In this chapter we
focus on a more immediate potential catastrophe:
the prospect of large-scale human development
reversals in the world’s poorest countries.
Chapter
3 - Avoiding dangerous climate change: strategies for mitigation
[1,009 KB]
Climate change is an immense, long-term and global challenge that raises diffi cult
questions about justice and human rights, both within and across generations.
Humanity’s ability to address these questions is a test of our capacity to manage
the consequences of our own actions. Dangerous climate change is a threat, not a
pre-ordained fact of life. We can choose to confront and eliminate that threat, or
we can choose to let it evolve into a fully fledged crisis for poverty reduction and for
future generations.
Chapter
4 - Adapting to the inevitable: national action and international
cooperation [820 KB]
The
village of Maasbommel on the banks of the River Maas in Zeeland, southern
Netherlands, is preparing for climate change. Like most of the Netherlands, this is a
low-lying area at risk from rising sea levels and rivers swollen by rain. The landscape
is dominated by water—and by the networks of dykes that regulate its flow. Located
on the Maasbommel waterfront are 37 homes with a distinctive feature: they can
float on water. Fixed to large steel stilts that are sunk into the river bed, the hollow
foundations of the homes act like the hull of a ship, buoying the structure above
water in the event of a flood. The floating homes of Maasbommel offer a case study
in how one part of the developed world is adapting to the increased risks of flooding
that will come with climate change.
Notes,
Bibliographical notes, Bibliography [524 KB]
Human
Development Indicators [1,468 KB]
Technical
Notes [5,888 KB]
Complete
report [12,296 KB]
Errata
[11 KB]
Language editions
English
| French
| Spanish
| Arabic
| Chinese
| Russian
| Portuguese
| Italian
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| Catalan
Background
papers
The national and regional reports
| |
Background Papers:
Gaye, Amie
Access
to Energy and Human Development [331 KB]
Access to modern energy services is fundamental to fulfilling basic social needs, driving
economic growth and fueling human development. This is because energy services have
an effect on productivity, health, education, safe water and communication services.
Modern services such as electricity, natural gas, modern cooking fuel and mechanical
power are necessary for improved health and education, better access to information and
agricultural productivity.
There are wide variations between energy consumption of developed and developing
countries, and between the rich and poor within countries, with attendant variations in
human development. Furthermore, the way in which energy is generated, distributed and
consumed affects the local, regional and global environment with serious implications for
poor people’s livelihood strategies and human development prospects1.
This paper attempts to examine the linkages between energy services and human
development in developing countries. It does so by comparing modern energy use in
developed and developing countries and argues that a threshold of modern energy is
required to achieve growth and improvement in human development. The paper also
assesses the effect of fossil fuel use on greenhouse gas emissions and developing
countries’ capacity to adapt to climate change. It discusses the dual challenge of
mitigating climate change and meeting the energy demands of developing countries in a
sustainable way.
Kelkar, Ulka, and Suruchi Bhadwal
South
Asian Regional Study on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation: Implications for Human Development [728 KB]
It is now increasingly realised that even with the currently agreed regime of emissions
control, concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) are likely to rise over the next few
decades and over the millennia. Climate change is likely to threaten all life forms on
earth with the extent of vulnerability varying across regions and populations within
regions. The impacts however are likely to fall disproportionately upon developing
countries, in particular, the poor living within them. Reduced capacities to be able to
effectively respond to increased climatic variability and change in the climate
exacerbates vulnerabilities.
Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns and numerous other factors will
impact both natural and human systems. Climate sensitive sectors like agriculture,
forestry, water resources and coastal regions, and, human systems including human
health, human settlements, industry and energy sectors will be drastically affected (IPCC
2001).
Volpi, Giulio
Climate
Mitigation, Deforestation and Human Development in Brazil [1,406 KB]
Climate change mitigation in developing countries is a growing priority for many governments.
Much of the current research into this area concentrates on emissions from industry and
households. However, in many countries changing land use patterns drives carbon flows into the
atmosphere. This Thematic Paper for the UNDP Human Development Report 2007 focuses on
tropical deforestation as a major source of rising carbon emissions and wider human
development problems in the Brazilian Amazon–the largest area of tropical forests in the world.
Consistently with the Terms of Reference, this paper cover five broad themes: (i) the scale, pace
and location of deforestation; (ii) an analysis of the factors driving deforestation, including
public policies; (iii) how deforestation is contributing to carbon emissions; (iv) the human
development effects of deforestation, and; (v) what can be done to address the problem.
Chaudhry, Peter, and Greet Ruysschaert
Climate
Change and Human Development in Viet Nam [224 KB]
Viet Nam is a low-income country, but has recently made spectacular progress in terms of
both economic growth and poverty reduction. The official poverty rate has fallen from 58
percent in 1993, to 19.5 percent in 2004 (VASS 2006). Strong economic growth is likely to
continue following recent accession to the World Trade Organisation, with increased
international trade and direct foreign investment reinforcing Viet Nam’s progress towards
middle-income country status. As Viet Nam continues to be transformed from a highly
centralised command economy, to a more market based one, the urgent challenge is to
ensure that the relatively equitable growth that has taken place to date is sustained.
Inequality is already increasing, with growth and poverty reduction rates in remote areas
markedly lower than those in and around the growth poles of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi,
and this may have significant long term consequences for Viet Nam’s future ability to respond
collectively to climate related vulnerabilities.
IGAD, ICPAC
Climate
Change and Human Development in Africa: Assessing the Risks and Vulnerability of Climate Change in Kenya,
Malawi and Ethiopia [2,305 KB]
Human induced climate change emanating largely from increase in the concentration greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere and sustainable development are two closely related challenges facing
human kind in the 21st century. The challenges associated with the devastating
effects of climate change has been addressed by the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which calls for stabilization of the Greenhouse gases
(GHGs) emissions in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent ‘dangerous anthropogenic
interference’ with climate system, with a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems and the
environment as a whole to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is
not threatened, and enable economic development to proceed in sustainable manner.
Carvajal, Liliana
Impacts
of Climate Change on Human Development [663 KB]
Scientific research throughout the past decades has demonstrated how climatic changes have important impacts
on the livelihoods of people around the world. For most of developing countries their level of structural
and social vulnerability, are a dangerous combination and a formula for impacts of higher magnitude. Therefore,
climatic phenomenon such as tropical storms, floods and droughts, more often become tragedies in these countries.
This paper analyzes the impacts of such phenomenon in the human development of people across the world.
Some of the climate change related issues analyzed in this parte are: Droughts and water security,
tropical cyclones and storms, rising tides, warming seas, coral bleaching, fish stocks, melting glaciers,
heat waves and cold spells and the impact on human health are discussed in this
paper along with the differentiated impact on countries in various levels
human development is also discussed
Arroyo, Vicki, and Peter Linguiti
Current
Directions in the Climate Change Debate in the United States [486 KB]
Barker, Terry, and Katie Jenkins
The
Costs of Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change: Estimates Derived from a Meta-Analysis of the Literature
[265 KB]
Boykoff, Maxwell T, and J. Timmons Roberts
Media
Coverage of Climate Change: Current Trends, Strengths, Weaknesses [578 KB]
de la Fuente, Alejandro, and Ricardo Fuentes
The
Impact of Natural Disasters on Children Morbidity in Rural Mexico [211 KB]
Helm, Dieter
Climate
change: Sustainable growth, markets, and institutions [218 KB]
Henderson, Caspar
Carbon
Budget—the agenda for mitigation: Australia, Canada, the European Union and Japan [494 KB]
O’Brien, Karen, and Robin Leichenko
Human
Security, Vulnerability and Sustainable Adaptation [251 KB]
Osbahr, Henny
Building
resilience: Adaptation mechanisms and mainstreaming for the poor [252KB]
Perelet, Renat
Central
Asia: Background Paper on Climate Change [764 KB]
Perelet, Renat, Serguey Pegov and Mikhail Yulkin
Climate
Change: Russia Country Paper [425 KB]
Rahman, A. Atiq, Mozaharul Alam, Sarder Shafiqul Alam,
Md. Rabi Uzzaman, Mariam Rashid and Golam Rabbani
Risks,
Vulnerability and Adaptation in Bangladesh [3,908 KB]
Reid, Hannah, and Saleemul Huq
International
and National Mechanisms and Politics of Adaptation: An Agenda for Reform [183 KB]
Seck, Papa
Links
between Natural Disasters, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Risk
Reduction: A Critical Perspective [342 KB]
Watson, Jim, Gordon MacKerron, David Ockwell and Tao
Wang
Technology
and carbon mitigation in developing countries: Are cleaner coal technologies a viable option? [361 KB]
Thematic Papers:
Brown, Oli
Climate
change and forced migration: Observations, projections and implications [303 KB]
Conceição, Pedro, Yanchun Zhang and Romina Bandura
Brief
on Discounting in the Context of Climate Change Economics [396 KB]
Conde, Cecilia, Sergio Saldaña, and Víctor Magaña
Thematic
Regional Paper: Latin America [264 KB]
de Buen, Odón
Decarbonizing
Growth in Mexico [175 KB]
de la Fuente, Alejandro
Private
and Public Responses to Climate Shocks [297 KB]
de la Fuente, Alejandro
Climate
Shocks and their Impact on Assets [244 KB]
Dobie, Philip, Barry Shapiro, Patrick Webb and Mark
Winslow
How
do Poor People Adapt to Weather Variability and Natural Disasters
Today? [480 KB]
Khoday, Kishan
Climate
Change and the Right to Development: Himalayan Glacial Melting and the Future of Development on the
Tibetan Plateau [616 KB]
Krznaric, Roman
Food
coupons and bald mountains: What the history of resource scarcity can teach us about tackling
climate change [360 KB]
Krznaric, Roman
For
God’s Sake, Do Something!: How Religions Can Find Unexpected Unity Around Climate Change
[318 KB]
Kuonqui, Christopher. "Responding
to Clear and Present Dangers: A New Manhattan Project for Climate Change? [54 KB]
Leiserowitz, Anthony
Public
Perception, Opinion and Understanding of Climate Change: Current Patterns, Trends and Limitations [4,866 KB]
Li, Junfeng
Mitigation
Country Study: China [248 KB]
Mathur, Ritu, and Preety Bhandari
Living
Within a Carbon Budget: The Agenda for Mitigation [391 KB]
Matus Kramer, Arnoldo
Adaptation
to Climate Change in Poverty Reduction Strategies [129 KB]
Menon, Roshni
Famine
in Malawi: Causes and Consequences [164 KB]
Newell, Peter
The
Kyoto Protocol and Beyond: The World After 2012 [188 KB]
Tolan, Sandy
Coverage
of Climate Change in Chinese Media [69 KB]
Winkler, Harald, and Andrew Marquard
Energy
Development and Climate Change: Decarbonising Growth in South Africa [270 KB]
Yue, Li, Lin Erda and Li Yan
Impacts
of, and Vulnerability and Adaptation to, Climate Change in Water
Resources and Agricultural Sectors in China [431 KB]
Issue Notes
Arredondo Brun, Juan Carlos
Adapting
to Impacts of Climate Change on Water Supply in Mexico City [1,006 KB]
Bambaige, Albertina. "National
Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change Impacts: A Case Study of Mozambique [344 KB]
Birch, Isobel, and Richard Grahn
Pastoralism:
Managing Multiple Stressors and the Threat of Climate Variability
and Change [130 KB]
Canales Davila, Caridad, and Alberto Carillo Pineda
Spain Country Study [98 KB]
Cornejo, Pilar
Ecuador
Case Study: Climate Change Impact on Fisheries [793 KB]
Czisch, Gregor, and Jürgen Schmid
Mitigation
Country Study for Germany [165 KB]
Donner, Simon D.
Canada
Country Study [93 KB]
Lemos, Maria Carmen
Drought,
Governance and Adaptive Capacity in North East Brazil: A Case Study of Ceará [100 KB]
Meinshausen, Malte
Stylized
Emission Path [703 KB]
Nangoma, Everhart
National
Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change Impacts: A Case Study of Malawi [81 KB]
Nguyen, Huu Ninh
Flooding
in Mekong River Delta, Viet Nam [705 KB]
Orindi, Victor A., Anthony Nyong and Mario Herrero
Pastoral
Livelihood Adaptation to Drought and Institutional Interventions in
Kenya [338 KB]
Painter, James
Deglaciation
in the Andean Region [240 KB]
Pederson, Peter D.
Japan
: Country Study [448 KB]
Regmi, Bimal R., and A. Adhikari
Country
Case Study: Nepal [228 KB]
Salem, Boshra
Sustainable
Management of the North African Marginal Drylands [172 KB]
Seck, Papa. "The
Rural Energy Challenge in Senegal: A Mission Report [98 KB]
Sullivan, Rory
Australia
Country Study [176 KB]
Trigoso Rubio, Erika
Climate
Change Impacts and Adaptation in Peru: The Case of Puno and Piura [335 KB]
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