Development and climate change

The effects of climate change are being most acutely felt in developing countries where extreme weather conditions in vulnerable regions have become more frequent as the earth’s temperature climbs.

For the future, the estimates are nothing short of dire. A report last year by Christian Aid, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), predicted that by the end of the century 182 million people in sub-Saharan Africa would die of disease directly attributable to climate change. "Millions more face devastation from climate-induced floods, famine, drought and conflict," the report says.

With such devastating predictions, the developing world itself is making moves towards addressing climate change and reducing harmful emissions. China, the biggest producer of greenhouse gases after the US, has said it is committed to improving energy efficiency and will reduce harmful emissions by 20% in the next five years. The country’s leading meteorologist, Qin Dahe, attributed recent droughts in north-west China, where up to 300,000 people are short of drinking water, to climate change.

"The Chinese government is taking climate change extremely seriously," he said. "President Hu Jintao has said that climate change is not just an environmental issue but also a development issue."

India has also made statements about using more renewable energy while Brazil is one of the world’s leaders in the production and use of biomass and biofuels.

But while the financial potential of these countries leaves in no doubt the role they should play in reducing the effects of climate change, there is a debate over the extent to which poorer countries should be mindful of the heating of the planet.

A recent informal meeting of EU development ministers put the topic high on the agenda and a Commission proposal for a Europe-Africa energy partnership due out later this year will also focus on development and climate change. "It is obvious that Africa is not to blame for anthropogenic climate change, but Africa is hit particularly hard by the consequences of climate change," said German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul.

Climate change will reduce food security and water security and make vulnerable people lose even more. But how do poor African or Asian states haul themselves out of poverty without developing their economies and encouraging industry, both of which, will almost certainly drive up global emissions?

"Why shouldn’t they develop? The attitude from environmentalists seems to be that people in developing countries should stay poor and be happy," says Viv Regan, assistant director of Worldwrite, an education charity.

Changing from traditional use of fossil fuels to renewable energy, as Europe is discovering, requires vast sums of money. "The fact that a country like Ghana is being asked to use windmills or solar panels is abhorrent," says Regan.

She says poorer nations must be allowed to develop their industries using fossil fuels and move to renewable energy when they can. In the meantime the harmful effects of climate change can be off-set by technological advances, such as genetically modified crops which can withstand dry conditions.

But environmental groups believe climate change is too serious an issue to allow any states an opt-out. "As the Stern report said, you can’t afford not to act," says Catherine Pearce, international climate campaigner with Friends of the Earth. "The idea that these countries have to grow and rely on fossil fuels to develop is crazy. It is possible to grow and do it cleanly," she adds.

This is something that financial donors for poorer developing countries are beginning to wake up to, says Sally Nicholson, of WWF, an environmental NGO. "Certainly donor agencies are becoming more concerned about their investments, investing in clean energy and carrying out projects in an environmentally friendly way," she said.

Many developing NGOs point to the need for the developed world to take the lead in making drastic cuts in carbon emissions, but agree that even developing country must take a hit. According to the Christian Aid report: "This is a global problem that requires a global solution. None of us can shelter in bunkers of ignorance or self-interest any more."

The effects of climate change are being most acutely felt in developing countries where extreme weather conditions in vulnerable regions have become more frequent as the earth’s temperature climbs.