Earth Today | ‘Climate change adaptation is everybody’s business’

THE SUGGESTION that the burden of responsibility for mobilising financial resources for climate change adaptation rests with the public sector has found favour with local development professionals.

Even so, they have made it clear that while governments should provide the leadership, all stakeholders – from private businesses and investors to local communities – must make adaptation a priority.

“Adaptation measures may be costly and require upfront payments and in many cases benefit communities that do not have the means to pay for the adaptation in either the short or long term. So, governments should lead the way in investment, both from their own funds and in seeking external/international financing,” noted Dr David Smith, coordinator for the Institute for Sustainable Development at The University of the West Indies.

“Governments must also ensure that the policy and legal environment they create is in harmony with adaptation and adaptation investments. For example, subsidising developments that destroy mangroves while simultaneously investing money in mangrove restoration is contradictory. Investing in water supplies for cities needs to go along with investment in watershed protection and ensuring that development activities do not jeopardise water supplies,” he added.

“This requires a multidisciplinary approach to development and more policy coherence and cooperation between government ministries and departments than currently exists in many SIDS (small island developing states),” Smith said further.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Eleanor Jones, a member of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and herself a development specialist, insists it is the responsibility of all to take control of their vulnerability to climate change, which threatens lives and livelihoods, particularly in SIDS such as Jamaica where populations are especially vulnerable. That vulnerability is derived not only from the small size of Caribbean SIDS, but also their geographical locations and struggling economies.

“Climate change is everybody’s business and we are all affected and will be increasingly affected by it. There is rising seas, fiercer storms, rainfall is unpredictable, floods, droughts and our oceans are becoming more acidic, becoming warmer and it is affecting marine life and our coastal processes. It is a situation where we are trying to keep global warming under control but in the meantime, the impact are very marked. We have to take charge of our vulnerability,” she told The Gleaner.

“Absolutely, government needs to provide policy and they need to do the bigger picture. But individuals, businesses especially, need to take climate risk into their decision-making in the same way that the government needs to. It is not just about waiting on big money to come down to small countries but for small countries to look at what they can do themselves,” added Jones, who leads the consultancy firm Environmental Solutions Limited.

A case in point, she noted, is in the area of tourism construction.

“So you are building hotels, you need to ensure you have your setback, that you are not in the ocean and creating problems because sea level is going to rise, your beaches are going to erode and you are going to be constantly replenishing. So that needs to be taken into account. Where the government comes in is with the policy and enforcement,” she explained.

Smith and Jones were responding to the 2019 report of Global Commission on Adaptation titled ‘Adapt Now: A Global Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience’ where the case is made for adaptation as a job for the whole of society, with the public sector as marshal.

In that report, one of the things called for is a revolution in planning “to improve how we make policy and investment decisions and how we implement solutions”. It also sees the engagement of all stakeholders.

“The climate challenge is both urgent and pervasive across virtually all economic sectors. Mainstreaming in the public sector begins with upstream macroeconomic analysis and extends through risk screening, environmental and social impact assessments, budgeting, permitting, and project design. Since many climate impacts are local, devolving planning and even financial responsibility to those most affected is critical,” the report said.

“In the private sector, companies worldwide are starting to improve planning to protect their operations and assets from climate risks, but current levels of physical risk disclosure remain low. Both the public and private sectors need to learn to better incorporate high levels of uncertainty in their decision-making, as choices will need to be made soon between radically different options – long before we know if the world will actually be on a 1.5 degrees Celsius or a four-degrees Celsius pathway,” the report added.

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