IMPACTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE IN
SMALL COMMUNITIES
Charmaine Gomes
Sustainable Development Officer
ECLAC
The International Conference on Turtle Conservation, Ecotourism and Sustainable
Community Development
UWI, SALISES, 28-29 July 2009
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Introduction – IPCC AR4
• CC ↑ly the biggest environmental issue of our time;
• IPCCC, AR4, 2006 indicated that global [CO2], [CH4]
and [N2O] have↑ since 1750 = human activity;
• ↑ [CO2] = fossil fuels use and land use changes;
• ↑ CH4 and N2O - agriculture;
• Also indicated an ↑ in [CO2] from 280 parts per
million (ppm) in1850 to 364 ppm in 1998 to 379 ppm
in 2005;
• ↑ temperature are supported by widespread melting
of snow and ice and an increase in global average
sea level of 1.8 mm yr-1 between 1961 and 2003;
• Rate of SLR was faster between 1993 and 2003;
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Stern Review & ECLAC
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The Stern Review supports these findings: without concerted action, [GHG]
could double their pre-industrial level as early as 2035, (short-term rise of
20C; longer term50C in);
ECLAC - impacts of CC on agriculture, health and tourism re potential for
impact on GDP, human well being and employment.
The poorest and most vulnerable will suffer earliest and more intensively;
LC will be impacted more greatly as they often lack the economic and
technical resources available to respond to social and env. challenges;
Existing disadvantage that these communities have e.g significant health
problems, insecure and inadequate housing and comparatively lower
standards of education and training render them more vulnerable to the
impacts of CC;
SC are particularly at risk for water-borne and vector-borne diseases, which
can be spread through intake of infected water and food;
CC is likely to exacerbate poor housing and sanitation, ↑ the spread of such
diseases;
The dietary health situation of small communities is predicted to worsen, as
the plants and animals that comprise their traditional diet could be at risk of
decline and / or extinction through climate change;
A 2004 study reported in Nature magazine stated that climate change could
result in the extinction of between 15-37% of species (Thomas et al. 2004).
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Impacts of Climate Change
Agriculture
• Salt intrusion into
agricultural lands;
• Species may change
their distribution
ranges;
• Water temperature
may affect fish
production by
disrupting the food
chain;
• Increased pest
infestations;
• Increased incidence
of plant diseases;
• Increased wildfires;
• Loss of soil
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Health Impacts
• Heatwave-related
• Sunburn and skin
health problems;
cancer;
• Cold-related illness
• Extreme weatherand deaths;
related event
(droughts, hurricanes)
• River, coastal flooding
and flash floods;
• Possible ancillary
health benefits;
• Infectious diseases;
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Tourism Impacts
• The tourism industry =
income for many SC;
• SC are more likely to have
limited scope to adapt to the
changes in climate → impact
on their small scale industries
(source of valuable income);
• Flooding and drought
frequency → migration →loss
of place-specific cultural
heritage practices &
fragmentation;
• Loss or degradation of
beaches and the nearshore
environment (source of
income) for many small scale
fishing activities;
• Loss of road access to fish
landing sites → coastal
inundation and / or flooding;
• Flooding → significant losses
in biodiversity, esp. coastal
and freshwater biodiversity
(livelihoods for coastal
communities e.g. ecotourism
activities);
• Losses in informal housing
settlements when the
infrastructure, esp. in low lying
areas inundated as a result of
flooding;
• Flash flooding (drainage
systems overcapacitated);
• Flooding → losses in access to
sports grounds & other
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recreational areas.
Human Security Impacts
• Reduction in arable land for farming leading to:
– a drop in agricultural productivity; - increasing food insecurity;
– lowering farmers’ income; and
- diminishing crop production;
– decreased availability of fish stocks
as a result of overfishing.
• Increased flooding and prolonged droughts may well realise:
– loss of access to agricultural produce;
– reduction in the availability of fresh water by as much a 20 –
30% in certain regions and moreso in small communities;
– this has the potential to cause civil unrest and to lead to
significant economic losses.
• SC already suffer from poor health conditions, unemployment or
social exclusion may be rendered more vulnerable → migration to
other areas. = “environmental migration”. ↑ conflicts among SC
where borders are crossed;
• Reduction in the availability of, and access to, energy supplies
(may result in civil unrest thereby disrupting supplies of energy to
small communities).
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The Response - Adaptation
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harvesting of rain water;
alternative storage tanks
or irrigation canals for
rainwater collection;
temporary migration of
coastal communities to
higher levels;
cultivating crops with
shorter growing seasons
thereby maintaining
employment levels;
prayers and offerings at
local places of worship
with which the
communities identify;
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support in gathering data
to assess climate change
intensity in the small
communities;
developing a need-based
service mechanism to
support vulnerable
households;
establishment of village
knowledge centres =
serve to sensitise
communities and build
awareness of the impacts
of climate change
(support for adaptive
strategies and removing
barriers).
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Mitigation
• Lead in addressing
carbon emissions;
• Lead in lobbying for
research on CC
impacts;
• Lobbying for the
conduct of a carbon
audit;
• Place energy at the
heart of the
communities;
• Reduce water
consumption and
flooding;
• Ensure sustainable
catering and food
procurement policies;
• Influence sustainable
housing;
• Promote sustainable
forms of transport;
• Develop a carbon
neutral waste
management policy;
• Promote local
employment and skills
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Conclusions & Recommendations
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In Bangladesh, lands affected by intrusion of salt water are now being
used for shrimp farming;
In Madagascar, CI and its partners are hiring villagers to plant trees on
eroded land which creates corridors to connect fragmented habitats. This
activity may earn carbon revenues and provide much needed
employment (Time 2009);
Increase employment of investors in RE technologies would accrue with
diversification in employment opportunities in small communities;
Increase opportunity for capacity building in the utilization of RE
technologies;
Savings in travel by people in temperate climates as the planet warms,
but tourism in tropical climates may need to diversify differently;
Costs associated with clothing may decline, but so would investment in
the clothing industry;
Greater demand for air conditioning and refrigeration -employment;
Increased investment in the insurance industry;
Investment in the infrastructure industry;
Reduce investment by consumers in the transport sector;
Promote the initiative for REDD initiative as in Guyana and Belize;
Small communities could benefit from other carbon trading initiatives
through reafforestation projects;
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They could also be the guardians of environmental resources