As the beginning of COP15 draws near (and classes draw to a close!) the organizers of the Rice group are encouraging us with increasing intensity to choose a topic to follow while in Copenhagen. Climate change is a very broad topic, and in the five full days we’ll have at the conference, there’s no way we can hope to explore every facet!
Quite frankly, I’ve been torn between many topics. As an American, I wonder what role developed nations should be playing in climate change policy. As an engineer, I’m interested in the new and old technologies that we can harness. As a humanitarian, I’m concerned that the fight against global poverty will take a back seat to climate change.
Luckily, the organizers of COP15 posted the schedule of events very earlier on. Looking through the seminar descriptions, it became clear that while all of the issues are interrelated, the humanitarian in me would win out. During the conference, I will be following the interplay between global poverty and climate change, focusing on the infrastructure and development schemes that are most appropriate for developing nations. This best melds my interest in climate change and my belief that all people deserve certain fundamental capabilities such as access to clean water, sanitation, electricity, health and education.
To this end, I plan on attending lectures which focus on transportation infrastructure, forestry and rural electrification. I also will be attending lectures which address the nuts-and-bolts of implementing these technologies, such as finance strategies. There are also several interesting sessions about the necessary cooperation between the public and private sector, as well as steps some Latin American, Asian and African nations have already taken.
While I’ll predominately be focusing on issues specific to the developing world, I will also be very avidly following the U.S. reaction to the talks. Without genuine American leadership, it will be very difficult to come to a lasting, enforceable agreement about climate change policy. But I am optimistic that, as a world, we will rise to the occasion in the face of this universal danger!
Sounds like a very interesting week awaits you! I agree that the humanitarian and infrastructure issues are key to moving forward on reversing global warming (as are behavioral changes and infrastructure changes in the developed world).As mentioned, it is important to remember not to frame it as an either/or decision. Perhaps humanitarian infrastructure in the developing world can be implemented in a climate beneficial manner from the beginning, without being hampered by having outdated albatross infrastructure in the way of more innovative solutions. For the developing world the need is greater but the solutions can be better (and very different)!
On that topic! My initial reaction to the worry that ‘the fight against global poverty may take a back seat to climate change’: I think the two actually have a lot of potential to work TOGETHER, and I’d be interested to see how this is discussed at COP15! For example: setting lower emissions goals for cities promotes better urban planning, thus reducing pollution and road traffic injuries and enhancing health (injuries are one of the top 10 causes of death in developing countries) and also creating better waste disposal systems (reducing the need for hazardous jobs like ragpicking). Other such environmental solutions can also help improve sanitation and clean up garbage dumps in slums, improving urban health. Conversely, huge dams and deforestation can promote vector-borne diseases & population displacement, and on the longer term, sea level rises threaten the livelihoods of sometimes large swaths of a country’s farming population (i.e. Bangladesh); so a discussion of these issues could have a positive effect on both environment and poverty. It would also be interesting to go the other way: looking at how poverty alleviation can promote the environment (farmers who are better-off are less likely to engage in slash & burn agriculture, or even to move to cities and contribute to slum growth). Hopefully these links between poverty and environment will be on the discussion table at Copenhagen…!
Well said, Claire. It’s important to realize how multifaceted the effects of carbon emissions reductions efforts will be and the people that they affect. Although I appreciate your humanitarian outlook – even from the perspective of feasibility, developing nations need to have the infrastructure to provide basic resources for their citizens before we ask them to worry about climate change as well. The lectures sound very interesting, and I look forward to hearing your insightful thoughts on them.