Relating Climate Change to Poverty 'Vital', Says Head of Catholic Relief Network
June 25, 2009
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June 24, 2009
The leader of a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service groups says it is "vital" for humanitarian organizations to relate climate change to the issue of poverty and to address the factors that make people vulnerable to climate change.
"Climate change exacerbates existing vulnerabilities," says Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Lesley-Anne Knight, who will be speaking at this week's Global Humanitarian Forum in Geneva.
The two-day forum, which concludes Wednesday, has drawn concerned leaders from around the world who wish to formulate a response to the human impact of climate change.
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2009 is a crucial year in the international effort to address climate change.
In December, national government delegations who agreed to shape an ambitious international response to climate change in 2007 will be meeting for an end-of-the-year summit in Copenhagen, where they will seek to agree on a post-2012 climate agreement that will replace the current Kyoto protocol.
Earlier this month, the delegations concluded their second round of negotiations, completing the first rough sketch of a new global warming agreement.
According to some scientists, industrialized nations must cut emissions by 25 to 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 to prevent climate disasters, such as coastal flooding from rising sea levels, severe weather events, and variations in rainfall and temperatures that will affect agriculture and wipe out species of plants and animals.
Under the current Kyoto Protocol, 37 industrial countries are required to cut emissions a total 5 percent from 1990 by 2012. The World Wildlife Fund for Nature calculated that the current declarations from wealthy countries amount to a total emissions cut of just 10 percent by 2020.
During this week's forum, Caritas' Knight is expected to tell concerned leaders that the effects of climate change will be felt the most by the poorest who lack the resources to protect themselves. She will also call for a deal at climate change talks in Copenhagen this December to lower greenhouse gas emissions and provide the aid necessary for developing countries to adapt to severe weather caused by climate change.
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