Shock Waves : Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/22787/32963_Overview.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/22787/9781464806735.pdf?sequence=13&isAllowed=y

Ending poverty and stabilizing climate change will be two unprecedented global achievements and two major steps toward sustainable development. But the two objectives cannot be considered in isolation: they need to be jointly tackled through an integrated strategy.

This report brings together those two objectives and explores how they can more easily be achieved if considered together. It examines the potential impact of climate change and climate policies on poverty reduction.It also provides guidance on how to create a “win-win” situation so that climate change policies contribute to poverty reduction and poverty-reduction policies contribute to climate change mitigation and resilience building.

The key finding of the report is that climate change represents a significant obstacle to the sustained eradication of poverty, but future impacts on poverty are determined by policy choices: rapid, inclusive, and climate-informed development can prevent most short-term impacts whereas immediate pro-poor, emissions-reduction policies can drastically limit long-term ones.

Part of Series:

• Climate Change and Development

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Thom Hartmann on Science & Green News: 11/17/15

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Published on Nov 17, 2015

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• Shock Waves : Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty

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Editing the Genome of Mosquitoes

University of California Television (UCTV)

Published on Jan 5, 2016

(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/) How should we balance the benefits of limiting or possibly eliminating a disease that kills 1000 people a day against the possible disruption of an ecosystem? Valentino Gantz, and Ethan Bier recently published a Science paper describing a new mechanism of “gene drive.” This is not just a matter of editing the genes of a single individual, but an opportunity to make a change that will drive that change into all descendants of the original individual. Their publication resulted in international interest because of the broad potential applications of this new technology, which could rapidly produce beneficial genetic changes. Others have argued that because of the risks and implications of such research the work should not even have been published.

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BBC World Service – Newshour Extra, Editing the Human Genome

Remarkable new techniques for ‘editing’ DNA – chemically cutting and splicing sections of genetic code – are revolutionising research in laboratories around the world. The potential for eradicating hereditary diseases is enormous. But are the benefits outweighed by the risks involved? And should these techniques ever be used on humans? On Newshour Extra this week, Owen Bennett Jones and his panel of expert guests discuss the scientific and ethical consequences of this latest research, and ask whether mankind should be tinkering with our genetic inheritance.

Contributors: Prof Robin Lovell-Badge – Head of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics at the Francis Crick Institute; Michael Le Page -New Scientist magazine; Dr Annelien Bredenoord – Associate Professor of Biomedical Ethics at the University Medical Centre in Utrecht; Marcy Darnovsky – Executive Director of the Center for Genetics and Society, Berkeley, California; James Rushbrooke – playwrite; Edward Perello – co-founder of Desktop Genetics

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Adapting to a Warmer World: BBC World Service – Newshour Extra

Our world is getting warmer despite the best efforts of the scientists, politicians and diplomats. A global agreement in Paris on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions may help slow the rise in temperature, but it’s rising nonetheless. What might the world look like if the temperature keeps rising? There will be many losers – but who are the likely winners? And what does humanity need to do to adapt to the inevitable changes ahead? Owen Bennett Jones and a star cast of guests discuss how humanity can survive in a warming world.

Contributors:
James Lovelock – Environmentalist and originator of Gaia theory; Heather McGray – Director of the Vulnerability & Adaptation programme at the World Resources Institute in Washington, DC; Saleemul Huq – Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh; Mark Maslin – Professor of Climatology at University College London; McKenzie Funk – Journalist and author of ‘Windfall’
Rutger de Graaf – Delta Sync a Dutch company developing climate-adaptation concepts; Paulo Bacigalupi – Climate fiction (‘cli-fi’) author

Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

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Global Trade: the New Imperialism? BBC World Service – Newshour Extra

In December, the World Trade Organisation will hold major talks in Nairobi, Kenya – the first time ever one of its high-level summits has been in Africa. Global trade has brought enormous economic benefits, but has the WTO failed in its prime directive to “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger” through more equitable trading relationships? Is the world trade regime fair, or is the game fundamentally rigged against developing countries?

And as the major powers increasingly turn to regional agreements like the recent Trans-Pacific Partnership, does the WTO even matter anymore?

Join Owen Bennett-Jones and his panel of experts, including a former director general of the WTO, as they discuss the future of global trade, and whether developing countries can ever reap the benefits.

(picture credit: Getty images)

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Thom Hartmann on Science & Green News: 1/5/16

thomhartmann

Published on Jan 5, 2016

Thom Hartmann comments on science and green news for the week of January 4, 2016

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Historic global climate deal welcomed by The Climate Group

Date: 12 December 2015

PARIS: The most influential businesses and sub-national governments from the US, Europe, China and beyond came to Paris looking for a catalytic climate deal – and today’s agreement does not disappoint. The Climate Group is delighted to be in Paris at this pivotal moment in history to witness the adoption of the ‘Paris Agreement’ at COP21 today.

A decade of challenging climate negotiations have finally come to fruition under the skilful expertise and diplomacy of the French Government and the UNFCCC, to create the most important international agreement since the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. The global deal will profoundly shape sustainable development over the course of this century.

The new deal includes a long-term goal that effectively commits the world’s nations to net zero emissions before the end of the century. This goal is backed up by a five-year review and ‘ratchet’ mechanism, which will enable countries to adjust their own targets over time. The mechanism is vital to raising ambition and putting the world on track to achieving the next zero goal. It will ensure a clear signal is sent to investors and businesses to accelerate the transition to a prosperous low carbon economy.

…(read more).

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MEES – Conference: The Language of Climate Change

Conference Program:

Massachusetts Environmental Education Society

http://massmees.org/

The Conference

Environmental educators wear two hats (at least). There is the scientist hat, well fitted with content and process. Then there is the educator hat – perfect for “translating” and presenting complex content to a wide audience. As climate change becomes the environmental benchmark for this generation environmental educators need to hone their skills in both arenas of science and communication.

Responding to that need, the Massachusetts Environmental Education Society will convene a “Language of Climate Change” summit in March 2016, dedicated to widely exploring avenues of climate change communication. The “Language of Climate Change” will feature researchers, influential leaders, program models, and active voices from within and outside of the environmental education field. Participants will tackle the question: how do we bring about a behavioral shift when teaching, talking or communicating climate change science? We will focus specifically on communicating to a K-12 and college audience, and with over 200 formal and informal educators expected, this is an opportunity to gather a wellspring of energy in the state to address this topic.

Grant funding for this initiative has allowed us to bring in a nationally recognized speaker, David T. Sobel of Antioch University New England, as well as a workshop series by the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI).

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Oxford Climate Policy – the blog

Oxford Climate Policy (OCP) was registered in April 2005 for the general purpose of capacity building in the context of the UN climate change negotiations, and is charged in particular with managing the Oxford Fellowship Programme of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi).

The aim of this site is to give members of OCP and invited guests the opportunity to initiate debates on international climate policy, particularly in relation to topical issues regarding the international climate change regime

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