Adopt people-centred solutions to climate change

It is fitting that the last UN Climate Change Conference was held in Africa, where both the current and future consequences of climate change are clearly discernible.

The short and medium-term impacts of floods and drought, and the long-term prospect of rising global temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns, will continue to make Africa Exhibit A in discussions about the implications of climate change.

Until recently, the dominant approach to analysing the global impact of climate change has involved careful consideration of which geographic areas are likely to be most affected, which infrastructures are most vulnerable, and how to make the physical environment more resilient.

Yet, in the past several years, there has been growing recognition that people — their lives and livelihoods, health, well-being and security — should be central to our analysis of the impact of climate change.

That is why any discussion on climate change without the involvement of people is not sustainable.

People must be at the front and centre of the conversation. The world’s population reached seven billion on October 31, 2011, and could top nine billion by 2050.

But numbers alone do not tell the story, and an understanding of population dynamics is essential to our response to climate change.

For example, urbanisation is expanding at a rapid rate in many countries, particularly in Asia and Africa, and this will alter people’s exposure to a changing climate and the resources they have to address it.

Many countries in the developing world are also experiencing significant population growth, which will put an increasing strain on the natural environment and directly impact the factors that contribute to global climate change.

Understanding population dynamics and planning for these changes is critical to addressing the long-term challenges we will face as our climate continues to change in the years and decades ahead.

We must ensure that those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change are able to adapt.

Maximising the opportunities and choices available to individuals and families will contribute to both greater adaptive capacity and to better outcomes with respect to population growth and change.

Better access to health-care services, including sexual and reproductive health, and expanded access to education beyond the primary level can provide the foundation for greater resilience to the negative impacts of climate change, contribute to falling rates of infant, child, and maternal death, help stop the spread of communicable diseases, and contribute to decreasing fertility levels.

These interventions, in turn, will help slow population growth, which will give developing countries more time to adapt to a changing climate.

If we are to make intelligent choices in the years ahead, we will also need to make a greater effort to involve young people in the debate.

Proactive approach

We must ensure that the leaders of future generations understand the ways that climate change will likely affect their health, education, nutrition, safety, and access to adequate housing and sanitation.

Giving young people a greater voice in climate change negotiations will encourage them to make even more positive contributions to their future, and that of our planet.

Finally, we should work to mitigate the worst effects of climate change by addressing population dynamics proactively.

Urbanisation is a case in point. Cities where the poor are marginalised and vulnerable to the effects of climate change generally represent failures of urban planning.

Strategic use of population data and population projections to plan carefully for land use, housing requirements and employment needs of an urbanising population clearly represents a more thoughtful and proactive approach.

Protecting vulnerable populations from the worst effects of climate change, engaging young people in this critical issue, and addressing the potential impact of climate change proactively would represent a people-centred approach to meeting the twin challenges of climate change and population dynamics.

And it is the approach most likely to lead to a sustainable future for life on Planet Earth.

Dr Osotimehin is Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund