IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN SMALL COMMUNITIES

1
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE INSMALL COMMUNITIES

• Charmaine GomesSustainable Development
  OfficerECLAC
• The International Conference on Turtle
  Conservation, Ecotourism and Sustainable
  Community DevelopmentUWI, SALISES, 28-29 July
  2009

2
Introduction IPCC AR4

• CC ?ly the biggest environmental issue of our
  time
• IPCCC, AR4, 2006 indicated that global CO2,
  CH4 and N2O have? since 1750 human
  activity
• ? CO2 fossil fuels use and land use changes
• ? CH4 and N2O - agriculture
• Also indicated an ? in CO2 from 280 parts per
  million (ppm) in1850 to 364 ppm in 1998 to 379
  ppm in 2005
• ? temperature are supported by widespread melting
  of snow and ice and an increase in global average
  sea level of 1.8 mm yr-1 between 1961 and 2003
• Rate of SLR was faster between 1993 and 2003

3
Stern Review ECLAC

• The Stern Review supports these findings without
  concerted action, GHG could double their
  pre-industrial level as early as 2035,
  (short-term rise of 20C longer term50C in)
• ECLAC - impacts of CC on agriculture, health and
  tourism re potential for impact on GDP, human
  well being and employment.
• The poorest and most vulnerable will suffer
  earliest and more intensively
• LC will be impacted more greatly as they often
  lack the economic and technical resources
  available to respond to social and env.
  challenges
• Existing disadvantage that these communities have
  e.g significant health problems, insecure and
  inadequate housing and comparatively lower
  standards of education and training render them
  more vulnerable to the impacts of CC
• SC are particularly at risk for water-borne and
  vector-borne diseases, which can be spread
  through intake of infected water and food
• CC is likely to exacerbate poor housing and
  sanitation, ? the spread of such diseases
• The dietary health situation of small communities
  is predicted to worsen, as the plants and animals
  that comprise their traditional diet could be at
  risk of decline and / or extinction through
  climate change
• A 2004 study reported in Nature magazine stated
  that climate change could result in the
  extinction of between 15-37 of species (Thomas
  et al. 2004).

4
Impacts of Climate ChangeAgriculture

• Salt intrusion into agricultural lands
• Species may change their distribution ranges
• Water temperature may affect fish production by
  disrupting the food chain

• Increased pest infestations
• Increased incidence of plant diseases
• Increased wildfires
• Loss of soil

5
Health Impacts

• Heatwave-related health problems
• Cold-related illness and deaths
• River, coastal flooding and flash floods
• Infectious diseases

• Sunburn and skin cancer
• Extreme weather-related event (droughts,
  hurricanes)
• Possible ancillary health benefits

6
Tourism Impacts

• The tourism industry income for many SC
• SC are more likely to have limited scope to adapt
  to the changes in climate ? impact on their small
  scale industries (source of valuable income)
• Flooding and drought frequency ? migration ?loss
  of place-specific cultural heritage practices
  fragmentation
• Loss or degradation of beaches and the nearshore
  environment (source of income) for many small
  scale fishing activities

• Loss of road access to fish landing sites ?
  coastal inundation and / or flooding
• Flooding ? significant losses in biodiversity,
  esp. coastal and freshwater biodiversity
  (livelihoods for coastal communities e.g.
  ecotourism activities)
• Losses in informal housing settlements when the
  infrastructure, esp. in low lying areas inundated
  as a result of flooding
• Flash flooding (drainage systems
  overcapacitated)
• Flooding ? losses in access to sports grounds
  other recreational areas.

7
Human Security Impacts

• Reduction in arable land for farming leading to
• a drop in agricultural productivity -
  increasing food insecurity
• lowering farmers income and -
  diminishing crop production
• decreased availability of fish stocks
• as a result of overfishing.
• Increased flooding and prolonged droughts may
  well realise
• loss of access to agricultural produce
• reduction in the availability of fresh water by
  as much a 20 30 in certain regions and moreso
  in small communities
• this has the potential to cause civil unrest and
  to lead to significant economic losses.
• SC already suffer from poor health conditions,
  unemployment or social exclusion may be rendered
  more vulnerable ? migration to other areas.
  environmental migration. ? conflicts among SC
  where borders are crossed
• Reduction in the availability of, and access to,
  energy supplies
• (may result in civil unrest thereby
  disrupting supplies of energy to small
  communities).

8
The Response - Adaptation

• harvesting of rain water
• alternative storage tanks or irrigation canals
  for rainwater collection
• temporary migration of coastal communities to
  higher levels
• cultivating crops with shorter growing seasons
  thereby maintaining employment levels
• prayers and offerings at local places of worship
  with which the communities identify

• support in gathering data to assess climate
  change intensity in the small communities
• developing a need-based service mechanism to
  support vulnerable households
• establishment of village knowledge centres
  serve to sensitise communities and build
  awareness of the impacts of climate change
  (support for adaptive strategies and removing
  barriers).

9
Mitigation

• Lead in addressing carbon emissions
• Lead in lobbying for research on CC impacts
• Lobbying for the conduct of a carbon audit
• Place energy at the heart of the communities
• Reduce water consumption and flooding

• Ensure sustainable catering and food procurement
  policies
• Influence sustainable housing
• Promote sustainable forms of transport
• Develop a carbon neutral waste management policy
• Promote local employment and skills

10
Conclusions Recommendations

• In Bangladesh, lands affected by intrusion of
  salt water are now being used for shrimp farming
• In Madagascar, CI and its partners are hiring
  villagers to plant trees on eroded land which
  creates corridors to connect fragmented habitats.
  This activity may earn carbon revenues and
  provide much needed employment (Time 2009)
• Increase employment of investors in RE
  technologies would accrue with diversification in
  employment opportunities in small communities
• Increase opportunity for capacity building in the
  utilization of RE technologies
• Savings in travel by people in temperate climates
  as the planet warms, but tourism in tropical
  climates may need to diversify differently
• Costs associated with clothing may decline, but
  so would investment in the clothing industry
• Greater demand for air conditioning and
  refrigeration -employment
• Increased investment in the insurance industry
• Investment in the infrastructure industry
• Reduce investment by consumers in the transport
  sector
• Promote the initiative for REDD initiative as in
  Guyana and Belize
• Small communities could benefit from other carbon
  trading initiatives through reafforestation
  projects
• They could also be the guardians of environmental
  resources