#theme:cc_poverty

Bangladesh is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world, where more than 3.5 million coastal peoples’ livelihoods depend directly or indirectly on fishing and related activities under extremely difficult conditions. Economic hardship is likely to be aggravated by climate change and its various effects. This study examines the probable linkage of the changing regimes in sea surface temperature, tropical cyclones and related climatic hazards with the declining livelihoods of the coastal fishers. The paper is organised into two sections: the first documents the sea surface temperature and tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal based on analysis of available climatic data between 1985 and 2009; and the second documents fishers’ own experience and perceptions of the changing climate based on analysis of survey data from ten coastal areas of Bangladesh.

The United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) 2011/2012 annual report outlines UNDP’s field programmes and its contributions to raising awareness and changing policy. The report describes activities and achievements under each of UNDP’s four focal areas: poverty reduction and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); democratic governance; crisis prevention and recovery; and environment and sustainable development, including access to sustainable energy. Each chapter also includes a section spotlighting a UNDP initiative, such as increasing public consultations in Vietnam, rebuilding in Haiti and reviving mangroves in Senegal. Moreover, the report highlights UNDP's efforts to help countries adopt initiatives to increase access to sustainable energy and combat climate change.

Climate-economics models often assume that middle-income countries' per capita incomes will catch up with those of today's high income countries, while low-income countries will lag behind. This choice underrates the least developed countries' chance to escape poverty. The consequences in terms of the resulting policy advice are stark: assumed slow growth for the poorest countries means lower projected business-as-usual emissions and, as a consequence, much weaker emissions reduction goals. But what if low-income countries grow more quickly, as China and India have? This article reviews current practices in modelling income growth in integrated assessment models of climate and economy, provides an illustration of the impact that more optimistic economic development expectations would have on emissions mitigation targets, discusses different policy options and concludes with recommendations for integrated assessment modellers.

Indigenous peoples have extensive knowledge of their local environment and this knowledge can be a valuable tool for climate change adaptation. Unfortunately, indigenous knowledge is rapidly being lost as a result of globalisation, migration and the continued marginalisation and impoverishment of indigenous peoples. Through the lens of three case studies from the Peruvian Andes, this paper demonstrates the invaluable role that indigenous knowledge can play in adaptation to climate change, as well as the crucial contribution outside actors can play in preserving, restoring and disseminating this knowledge.

This study on energy smart food production by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) stresses that agriculture's dependence on fossil fuels is undermining efforts to build a more sustainable world economy. It notes that world food production consumes 30 per cent of all available energy, most of which occurs after the food leaves the farm. The paper calls for: increasing the efficiency of direct and indirect energy use in agrifood systems; using more renewable energy as a substitute for fossil fuels; and improving access to energy services for poor households. It also outlines numerous approaches to adapt practices to become less energy intensive.

This fact sheet describes lessons learnt from the development of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) benefit distribution systems (BDSs) in Viet Nam. The fact sheet is a clear and concise resource for policymakers and REDD+ stakeholders. The lessons for REDD+ initiatives are as follows: 1) the principles of equity, transparency, additionally and performance-relatedness must define BDS; 2) regular independent and external audits of national REDD+ revenues and their distribution are essential; 3) mechanisms such as conditional cash-transfers need to be used to ensure payment is linked to performance; 4) a BDS needs to be linked with monitoring, reporting and verification processes; 5) BDS for national systems are likely to be more complex than project-based approaches; 6) benefit structuring should be delegated to local governance structures; 7) enhanced co-benefits can be incorporated into benefit structuring.

This paper examines the implications of climate change on human development in the context of Viet Nam. The report is organized into the following section: trends and predictions for physical vulnerability to climate change, climate change vulnerability in a changing socio-economic context, the institutional and policy environment for climate change response and Viet Nam’s current climate change responses and adaptations. The report concludes by arguing that climate change represents a very real threat to human development progress and co-ordinated action to reduce the impacts of climate change should be a top priority for policymakers, international organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations. The report also asserts that vulnerability to climate change is strongly connected to poverty; therefore, the best long-term adaptation measure for the most vulnerable is continued attempts to reduction poverty in all its forms.

This working paper, published by the World Bank Group, focuses on the social implications of climate change adaptation in Vietnam. The country is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate owing to its substantial coastline, relatively underdeveloped rural regions and its high dependence on agriculture. The report’s key outputs include: the identification of key socio-economic and biophysical areas of vulnerability, an assessment of Vietnam’s institutional and policy framework for adaptation, a local assessment of existing and potential adaptation options and practices and the development of participatory scenarios of adaptation pathways that might be chosen in the future.