Can ‘poor’ cities breathe: Responses to climate change in low-income countries

Urban Climate ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 403-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bikramaditya K. Choudhary ◽  
Arun Kumar Tripathi ◽  
Jeetesh Rai
2013 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 9-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna Prasad Pant

Climate change is posing a threat on present and future food security in low income countries. But, the actual effect of the climate change on food security is not known. Using secondary data reported by the government, the paper examines the effects of climate change on food security in Nepal in the context of policies of commercialization of farm production. Statistical analysis is used to delineate the situation of food security in the country and regression analysis for exploring the effects of global warming on domestic production of major cereals. The results are discussed at global, national, household and individual levels empirically and qualitatively. The results suggest that a rise in minimum temperature decreases the productivity of rice increasing threat of food insecurity. The paper suggests some policy measures for improving food security situation in the country and open up some areas for further research. The Journal of Agriculture and Environment Vol:13, Jun.2012, Page 9-19 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/aej.v13i0.7582


Soundings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (78) ◽  
pp. 38-49
Author(s):  
Md Fahad Hossain ◽  
Saleemul Huq ◽  
Mizan R. Khan

The impacts of human-induced climate change are manifested through losses and damages incurred due to the increasing frequency and intensity of climatic disasters all over the world. Low-income countries who have contributed the least in causing climate change, and have low financial capability, are the worst victims of this. However, since the inception of the international climate regime under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), loss and damage has been a politically charged issue. It took about two decades of pushing by the vulnerable developing countries for the agenda to formally anchor in the climate negotiations text. This was further solidified through establishment of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) and inclusion of stand-alone Article 8 on loss and damage in the Paris Agreement. Its institutionalisation has only done the groundwork of addressing loss and damage however - the key issue of finance for loss and damage and other matters has remained largely unresolved to date – particularly since Article 8 does not have any provision for finance. This has been due to the climate change-causing wealthy developed nations' utter disregard for their formal obligations in the climate regime as well as their moral obligation. In this article, we tease out the central controversies that underpin the intractability of this agenda at the negotiations of the UNFCCC. We begin by giving a walk-through of the concept and history of loss and damage in the climate regime. Then we present a brief account of losses and damages occurring in the face of rising temperature, and highlight the key issues of contention, focusing on the more recent developments. Finally, we conclude by suggesting some way forward for the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP26) taking place in Glasgow, UK in November 2021.


2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. I. Macdiarmid ◽  
S. Whybrow

Climate change is threatening future global food and nutrition security. Limiting the increase in global temperature to 1·5 °C set out in The Paris Agreement (2015) while achieving nutrient security means overhauling the current food system to create one that can deliver healthy and sustainable diets. To attain this, it is critical to understand the implications for nutrition of actions to mitigate climate change as well as the impacts of climate change on food production and the nutrient composition of foods. It is widely recognised that livestock production has a much greater environmental burden than crop production, and therefore advice is to reduce meat consumption. This has triggered concern in some sectors about a lack of protein in diets, which hence is driving efforts to find protein replacements. However, in most high- and middle-income countries, protein intakes far exceed dietary requirements and it would even if all meat were removed from diets. Reduction in micronutrients should be given more attention when reducing meat. Simply eating less meat does not guarantee healthier or more sustainable diets. Climate change will also affect the type, amount and nutrient quality of food that can be produced. Studies have shown that increased temperature and elevated CO2 levels can reduce the nutrient density of some staple crops, which is of particular concern in low-income countries. Nutrition from a climate change perspective means considering the potential consequences of any climate action on food and nutrition security. In this paper, we discuss these issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.


2012 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 1250005 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARUN S. MALIK ◽  
STEPHEN C. SMITH

We put in perspective the papers in this special issue by characterizing different forms of adaptation to climate change and discussing the role of adaptation in a developing country context. We highlight adaptation decision-making under uncertainty, empirics of autonomous adaptation, and data and methodological challenges. We identify unresolved questions, emphasizing interactions between autonomous and planned adaptation, adaptation externalities, and the relationship between adaptation and conflict.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Mohamad Buheji

The “Economics of Climate-Resilient Development” present a comprehensive mitigation plan to avoid future socio-economic crisis. The authors foresight that unless strategies are adapt effectively and efficiently today by the different communities and specially in the developing low income countries, the world would be vulnerable to economic shocks that never been experienced before.The book can be considered unique since it linked the economic development with the techniques of adaptation. It coincides with work the reviewer published about resilience economy where approaches for enhancing people and communities are explained in order to reach the minimum expected adaptability and flexibility. Buheji (2018a, 2018b).However, the work of Fankhauser and McDermott (2016) greatly focus on climate change, as the main challenge of economic development. The work would be greater if the editors ensure more inclusion and details on the nature of human being journeys.The issue of poverty covered in the book is a good example of foresighted socio-economic risk that needs to be mitigated to avoid deterioration due to many conditions that mostly would be uncontrollable due external unforeseen factors. In an earlier work, these factors were seen the cause for more complexity of the business models, which required proactive resilient practices, Buheji (2017).


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 4369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bakker ◽  
Haq ◽  
Peet ◽  
Gota ◽  
Medimorec ◽  
...  

In low income countries (LICs) in Africa and Asia per capita transport greenhouse gas emissions are relatively low but are expected to grow. Therefore, a substantial reduction in projected increases is required to bring emissions in line with long-term global climate objectives. Literature on how LICs are integrating climate change mitigation and sustainable transport strategies is limited. Key drivers of transport policy include improving accessibility, congestion, air quality, energy security, with reducing greenhouse gas emissions being of lower priority. This paper assesses the current status, feasibility and potential of selected low-carbon transport measures with high sustainable development benefits that can be implemented in the short to medium term, so- called ‘quick wins’. It examines to what extent ten such quick wins are integrated in climate change strategies in nine low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South Asia. The research method comprises expert interviews, an online questionnaire survey of experts and policymakers in the focus countries, and a review of literature and government plans. Results indicate that sustainable urban transport policies and measures are considered high priority, with vehicle-related measures such as fuel quality and fuel economy standards and electric two- and three-wheelers being of key relevance. In existing national climate change strategies, these quick wins are integrated to a certain extent; however, with better coordination between transport and energy and environment agencies such strategies can be improved. A general conclusion of this paper is that for LICs, quick wins can connect a ‘top-down’ climate perspective with a ‘bottom-up’ transport sector perspective. A knowledge gap exists as to the mitigation potential and sustainable development benefits of these quick wins in the local context of LICs.


Food Security ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siemen van Berkum

AbstractRecent decades have seen food markets and value chains become increasingly global—a trend that creates challenges as well as opportunities for food systems. Positive trade effects on food security are not always self-evident in food deficit low-income countries. Moreover, whereas international trade may also be used to balance regional differences in climate change impacts and biodiversity, trade can exacerbate environmental challenges associated with food production, land use and climate change. This article argues that, for trade to drive inclusive and sustainable growth of nutritious food production in food deficit low-income countries, policies and investments in these countries must focus on three key priorities: 1) diversifying production and markets to increase resilience to external shocks; 2) enhancing competitiveness and improving market access for local farmers and SMEs, and 3) incorporating externalities in international trade. The latter requires collective international action.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipesh Chapagain ◽  
Luna Bharati ◽  
Christian Borgemeister

Abstract The impacts of climatic disasters have been rising globally. Several studies argue that this upward trend is due to rapid growth in the population and wealth exposed to disasters. Others argue that rising extreme weather events due to anthropogenic climate change are responsible for the increase. Hence, the causes of the increase in disaster impacts remain elusive. Disaster impacts are higher in low-income countries, but existing studies are mostly from developed countries or at the cross-country level. Here we assess the spatiotemporal trends of climatic disaster impacts and vulnerability and their attribution to climatic and socioeconomic factors at the subnational scale in a low-income country, using Nepal as a case study. Loss of life is the most extreme consequence of disasters. Therefore, we employed human mortality as a measure of disaster impacts, and mortality normalized by exposed population as a measure of human vulnerability. We found that climatic disaster frequency and mortality increased in Nepal from 1991 to 2020. However, vulnerability decreased, most likely due to economic growth and progress in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Disaster mortality is positively correlated with disaster frequency and negatively correlated with per capita income but is not correlated with exposed population. Hence, population growth may not have caused the rise in disaster mortality in Nepal. The strong rise in disaster incidence, potentially due to climate change, has overcome the effect of decreasing vulnerability and caused the rise in disaster mortality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 117-139
Author(s):  
Dániel Fróna ◽  
János Szenderák ◽  
Mónika Harangi-Rákos

Climate change seems to be larger, more complex and more unpredictable than any other environmental problem. This review deals with the economic effects of climate change on global agricultural production. The causes and consequences of climate change are very diverse, while populations in low-income countries are increasingly exposed to its negative effects. Supplying the population with food is possible with increased agricultural production, but this often occurs under unsustainable circumstances. Increased agricultural production is also one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. In this research we highlight some of the important connections between climate change, population growth and agricultural production.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document