Climate change and sustainable Development

Sayed Naim KHALID, 

Climate change is a serious challenge faced by the international community striving towards sustainable development. It has implications for not only health and well being of the earth’s ecosystem but also for the economic enterprises and social livelihoods. The current models predict a 0.3 degree Celsius increase per decade in global temperatures over the next century. This is attributed to the increase in the amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, which has risen by about 25 per cent in the last 150 years. As a global problem, climate change requires a global solution, which can be made possible by research, shared knowledge and engagement of people at all levels. Within climate change, particular attention needs to be paid to the unique challenges facing developing countries. The South is likely to be significantly affected by climate change, yet it typically lacks in the resources needed to adapt to the economic, social and environmental changes expected to occur. Partnership between the North and South countries would give a good understanding of the implications of climate change for these countries and examine how approaches such as the Clean Development Mechanism may be used to meet developing countries’ sustainable development objectives.

The negative consequences of global warming are catastrophic. These include:

·       Increasing drought and desertification

·       Crop failures

·       Melting of the polar ice caps

·       Coastal flooding

·       Displacement of major vegetation regimes

·       Coral mortality

·       Change in ocean behaviour

·       Natural disasters

·       Infectious diseases

·       Degradation of ecosystems

·       Scarcity of food supply

·       Rise in sea level

To address the detrimental effects, corrective measures with regard to the following need to be taken:

·       Cutting down on carbon mono xide emissions.

·       Adopting the ‘Clean Development Mechanism’ suggested under the Kyoto

Protocol.

·       Reduc ing green house effect.

·       Using cleaner mining technologies that will reduce sulphur dioxide and particulate pollution thereby lowering mining contamination of water and air.