International. A new World Bank report shows that climate change is a serious threat to the world's poorest people, with the power to push more than 100 million people back into poverty over the next 15 years. And the poorest regions of the planet — Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia — will be hardest hit.
But the report — Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty — also points to a way out. This requires that poverty reduction and the task of development continue as a priority, albeit taking into account climate change. It also means taking specific measures to help people cope with climate crises, such as developing early warning and flood protection systems and introducing heat-resistant crops. At the same time, measures to reduce emissions must be accelerated and planned to protect the poor.
Climate impacts will most affect agriculture, a key sector in poorer countries and the main source of income, food security, nutrition, employment, livelihoods and export earnings. By 2030, crop yield losses could mean that food prices are 12% higher on average in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Globally, warming of between 2°C and 3°C could increase the number of people at risk of malaria by up to 5%, or more than 150 million people affected. There would be more frequent cases of diarrhoea and increased water scarcity would have an effect on water quality and hygiene. The result would be approximately 48,000 additional deaths of children under the age of 15 as a result of diarrhoeal diseases by 2030.
To prevent this bleak picture from becoming a reality, the report prescribes "good" development that is rapid, inclusive and climate-informed. This includes continuing and expanding programs that reduce poverty while increasing people's ability to prepare for and cope with crises. For example, in Kenya, the Hunger Grid Programme prevented a 5% increase in poverty among beneficiaries as a result of the 2011 drought.
The report analyzes the different scenarios towards 2030 and concludes that, without good development, more than 100 million additional people would be living in poverty.
With www.bancomundial.org information
