According to a report from global leaders the world’s readiness for the inevitable effects of the climate crisis is “gravely insufficient” and leaders need to radically rethink how they make decisions.
This lack of preparedness will result in poverty, water shortages and levels of migration soaring, with an “irrefutable toll on human life”, former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (chair), Bill Gates and Kristalina Georgieva (co-chairs) of the Global Commission on Adaptation warn in their foreword to its new report Adapt Now: A Global Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience published today.
Trillion-dollar investment is needed to avert “climate apartheid”, where the rich escape the effects and the poor do not, but this investment is far smaller than the eventual cost of doing nothing.
The study said the greatest obstacle was not money but a lack of “political leadership that shakes people out of their collective slumber”.
A “revolution” is needed in how the dangers of global heating are understood and planned for, and solutions are funded.
The Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA), established initially by the Netherlands, and now co-convened by 19 other countries, produced the report.
It has contributions from environment ministers from China, India and Canada, the heads of the World Bank and the UN climate and environment divisions, and others.
Among the most urgent actions recommended are early-warning systems of impending disasters, developing crops that can withstand droughts and restoring mangrove swamps to protect coastlines, while other measures include painting roofs of homes white to reduce heatwave temperatures.
The foreword to the report, says: “The climate crisis is here, now: massive wildfires ravage fragile habitats, city taps run dry, droughts scorch the land and massive floods destroy people’s homes and livelihoods. So far the response has been gravely insufficient.”
Mr Ban said: “I am really concerned about the lack of vision of political leaders.
“They are much more interested in getting elected and re-elected, and climate issues are not in their priorities.
“We are seeing this in the United States with President Donald Trump.”
The report says severe effects are now inevitable and estimates that unless precautions are taken, 100 million more people could be driven into poverty by 2030.
It says the number of people short of water each year will jump by 1.4 billion to five billion, causing unprecedented competition for water, fuelling conflict and migration.
On the coasts, rising sea levels and storms will drive hundreds of millions from their homes, with costs of US$1 trillion a year by 2050.
The Guardian newspaper reports Patrick Verkooijen, the chief executive of the Global Centre on Adaptation, said: “What we truly see is the risk of a climate apartheid, where the wealthy pay to escape and the rest are left to suffer.
“That is a very profound moral injustice.”
“It is a nation’s self-interest to invest in adaptation,” Mr Verkooijen said.
The report estimates spending US$1.8tn by 2030 in five key areas could yield US$7.1tn in net benefits, by avoiding damages and increasing economic growth.
Cutting carbon emissions is vital, said the GCA report, but this had received nearly 20 times more funding than adaptation in recent years.
Climate effects must be factored into decisions by those who make choices about the future, it said, such as business leaders.
Mr Verkooijen said nations should follow France in making it compulsory for large companies to report the climate risks to their businesses.
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