Knowledge for development under climate change Habiba Gitay World Bank Institute

A brief overview of climate change and risks to development knowledge and capacity For publications and news on the latest climate change initiatives Look for “climate change” on includes Development Outreach and Environment Matters

Earth systems Interacting components between land, ocean and atmosphere

Importance of greenhouse gases Greenhouse gases keep the earth “habitable”

Increases in major greenhouse gases

Past atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 Concentration of carbon dioxide(CO 2 ) in the atmosphere has remained within tight bounds

Observed changes Average surface temperature Sea level rise and storm surges Melting Sea Ice / Glaciers / Permafrost Increased precipitation e.g. in the northern temperate areas Extreme events – increased frequency of droughts, floods

Observed impacts Marine and coastal systems - mangroves, coral reefs, coastal fisheries, erosion of coastlines Human societies – floods, droughts, sea level rise/storm surges affected infrastructure and livelihoods; increased water scarcity, malnutrition, vector and water borne diseases (e.g. dengue fever, cholera, diarrhoea)

Observed impacts Terrestrial systems – poleward and upward migration of species/ecosystems; increase in frequency and intensity of pest and disease outbreaks (e.g. in forests), wildfires. Changes in growing seasons, increased in crops in northern temperate areas, decrease in many parts of Africa Impacts lends urgency … risk losing developmental gains

Inertia and lifetime of GHGs

Recent Observations Near the top or above IPCC projections Rahmstorf et al Science 2007

Managing climate risk Impacts and ability to manage them depends on –Geographical location and exposure Present and historical climate Condition of natural resources (e.g. fresh water supplies, fishery, forests, agricultural production) –Sensitivity Are the areas and populations near their “climatic limit” –Socioeconomic, institutional factors Education Technical and financial capacity Political will

Impacts likely to get worse

A Global Deal for action Climate Change “fundamental failure of markets” Atmosphere suffers from “tragedy of the commons” Action has to be effective, economically efficient and equitable and be “global” Includes technology development and rapid sharing of technology and knowledge Finances for both adaptation and for low carbon economies Modified from Stern & Noble 2007

Bali Action Plan part of United Nations Framework on Climate Change negotiations Mitigation Adaptation Technology Development and Transfer Resource Provision: Funding and Investment

Knowledge, capacity and resources Climate Change and how it affects development Develop human capacity –Share knowledge rapidly –Make the needed change, learn for implementation and share that knowledge Research and development - Knowledge generation for local context –policy changes –regulatory changes –technological changes –Innovations (Development Market Place as an idea) –Scaling-up

Knowledge – Mitigation Option Include introduction and/or scaling up of: –Improved energy efficiency and conservation –cleaner oil and coal technologies; –renewable energy, including solar, wind and hydropower; –market mechanisms for carbon trading –the role of forestry and agriculture, including reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD), –policy instruments, including regulatory frameworks, as well as carbon taxes, incentives, subsidies and education to help change behavior patterns.

Economically efficient technologies Sweeney 2007

Adaptation Reduce other impacts, adapt to changed conditions Use natural resources efficiently Change some input-intensive production systems to less intensive (e.g. agriculture) Fix what doesn’t work now – better prepared for the future. Reality….. –Better cope with present climatic extremes –Deal with present climatic extremes in the context of all other pressures – part of development. Action from communities, government and private sector

Urgency means – knowledge and capacity paramount Improve knowledge sharing on –Early phase technologies and Approaches to adaptation –Scaling up - policies and strategies to do so national action Enhance and maintain capacity –Understanding of climate change in university curricula –Active participation of stakeholders affected –Implement learning by doing and sharing knowledge on early action –Working across “silos” Better risk management of present climatic conditions and preparedness for future climate Large challenges for future generations Work towards Low carbon economies and resilient societies

Thank you More information at and click on climate change