No one would find it unusual that low or negative economic
growth attracts very little media investigation into any positive effect in
terms of constrained carbon emission. Constrained growth is an unpopular policy
option.
However, it's said that this maybe the only option to hold climate change below dangerous +2 degree C temperature. Wealthy societies are consuming carbon in a manner that pushes the planet closer to a tipping point where 40 to 70% of global species becomes extinct.
Over recent decades much of the international effort has been expended on assisting developing countries put in place strategies to adapt to climate change to mitigate effects such sea level rise, floods, droughts and extreme weather events.
Nevertheless, without major falls in emissions, these adaptation efforts may do little to stop our future being like a bad movie. As we have learned from development in health and education, it’s addressing the cause, not only short term effects, that leads to sustainable improvement. Adaptation and efficiency is not enough.
While millions of people have been lifted out of poverty, increasing carbon emissions are still driven by wealthy consumers across the globe. It’s understandable that people underestimate the individual effects of their lifestyle on the climate. But look around, think global and consider the sum of billions of individual impacts multiplied across the planet.
The millennium development goals end in 2015 and the consultation about the shape of the next global development goals is in progress now. Even mainstream economic models are evolving to include the environmental costs. The transition to a low carbon economy will be costly and disruptive but the medium term holds prospects for leaders willing to use today’s science to serve tomorrow’s world. Action can be positive.
New consumers can demand less damaging energy systems by learning from the mistakes of today’s wealthy countries.
New jobs can be provided by a functional low carbon economy.
While not planned, is the current economic slow down a short timeout before the last part of a game changing period?
Together with the developing world, wealthy countries must scale up collective effort to preserve what we can, to end this global scale crisis and build commitment across generations for a better tomorrow. Partnerships for development provide an example of new ways to work together on such collective interests.
Ask yourself, ‘’In 10 years time, What will a child think about the choices we make today?"
