Development Cooperation and Climate Change: Beyond Adaptation
DIIS seminar calls for support to low carbon development in the world's poorest countries
Development assistance to the world’s Least Developed Countries should not just focus on helping them adapt to existing climate change. Instead it should take a broader approach and contribute to the development of actual low carbon economies. Rather than adding an extra burden on impoverished countries, such an approach can help fight poverty, support national economic development and facilitate both climate change adaptation and mitigation in these countries.
This was one of the key messages emerging from a DIIS seminar on low carbon development and poverty alleviation on September 23, 2009. At the seminar, DIIS researchers presented the main recommendations from a Danida-funded study on the options for pro-poor climate change mitigation, while representatives from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and WWF commented on the findings of the study.
Financing: what role for development assistance?
While highlighting the positive potential of a low carbon approach, the study also warns that many poverty issues are unrelated to climate change, and that existing funds for such purposes must not be diverted into climate change. Instead, substantial additional ODA-funds for supporting pro-poor low carbon development is needed. There will furthermore be initiatives which although contributing to low carbon economic growth, would not necessarily provide an effective contribution to poverty reduction. Such initiatives should be financed using non-ODA resources.
While there was relatively broad agreement on most of the practical recommendations of the study, the critical issue of financing was –not unexpectedly – a more controversial issue among the seminar participants. This included the role and obligations of the North and South respectively in terms of providing the necessary financing, and the issue of whether climate and development financing should be accounted separately. The need to avoid excessive dependency on fragile carbon market mechanisms was highlighted by some participants.
Downloads Introduction by Helle Munk Ravnborg
Presentation by Mikkel Funder, DIIS
Presentation by Birgitte Nygaard Markussen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Presentation by John Nordbo, WWF Denmark
Download the DIIS reports here.
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