Social Dimensions of Climate Change

Robin Mearns And Andrew Norton

Description

Climate change is arguably the most profound challenge facing the international community in the 21st century. It is as much a challenge for poverty reduction, growth and development as it is a global environmental issue. It could undermine or reverse progress in reducing poverty and attaining the Millenium Development Goals, thereby unraveling many of the development gains of recent decades. It already threatens the livelihoods, health and well-being of millions of people worldwide, and of the poorest and most vulnerable groups in particular. And it has potentially far-reaching implications for international relations and for personal, national and regional security.
While significant uncertainties still remain, tremendous strides have been made over recent years in improving scientific understanding of the human processes driving global climate change and the likely impacts on world ecosystems. What is much less well understood is how these dynamics in the physical environment will interact with those of socio-economic systems, what the consequences will be for society, and how best to address them.
In order to focus attention on these previously neglected and poorly understood social dimensions of climate change, the World Bank convened an international workshop in March, 2008, with the participation of community activists, former heads of state, leaders of Indigenous Peoples, representatives of non-governmental organizations, international researchers, and staff of the World Bank and other international development agencies. This edited volume brings together revised versions of many of the papers presented during that workshop, as an initial step in taking stock of existing knowledge on the social dimensions of climate change. Several new papers were also commissioned for this volume.

Sujets

• Equity
• Vulnerability
• Poverty reduction
• Social justice
• Social protection
• Governance
• Climate change
• Environment

Informations

• Publié par: world-bank-publications
• Publié le: 02 décembre 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 45
• EAN13: 9780821381427
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

NEW FRONTIERS OF SOCIAL POLICY
SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE
EQUITY AND VULNERABILITY IN
A WARMING WORLD
Robin Mearns and Andrew Norton,
EditorsSOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGENEW FRONTIERS OF SOCIAL POLICY
Social Dimensions
of Climate Change
Equity and Vulnerability in a
Warming World
Robin Mearns and Andrew Norton, Editors© 2010 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank
1818 H Street NW
Washington DC 20433
Telephone: [phone]
Internet: www.worldbank.org
E-mail: [e-mail]
All rights reserved
1 2 3 4 13 12 11 10
This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development / The W orld Bank. The fi ndings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in
this volume do not necessarily refl ect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank
or the governments they represent.
The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The
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do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any
territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
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ISBN 978-0-8213-7887-8
eISBN 978-0-8213-8142-7
DOI 10.1596/978-0-8213-7887-8
Cover photo: © Arne Hoel/World Bank
Cover design: Naylor Design, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Social dimensions of climate change: equity and vulnerability in a warming world / Robin
Mearns and Andrew Norton, editors.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8213-7887-8 — ISBN 978-0-8213-8142-7 (electronic)
1. Social ecology. 2. Social change. 3. Climatic changes—Social aspects. I. Mearns, Robin.
II. Norton, Andrew.
HM861.S62 2009
304.2--dc22
2009035885NEW FRONTIERS OF SOCIAL POLICY
In many developing countries, the mixed record of state effectiveness, mar-
ket imperfections, and persistent structural inequities has undermined the
effectiveness of social policy. To overcome these constraints, social policy
needs to move beyond conventional social service approaches toward
development’s goals of equitable opportunity and social justice. This series
has been created to promote debate among the development community,
policy makers, and academia, and to broaden understanding of social pol-
icy challenges in developing country contexts.
The books in the series are linked to the World Bank’s Social Develop-
ment Strategy. The strategy is aimed at empowering people by transforming
institutions to make them more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. This
involves the transformation of subjects and benefi ciaries into citizens with
rights and responsibilities. Themes in this series include equity and develop-
ment, assets and livelihoods, citizenship and rights-based social policy, and
the social dimensions of infrastructure and climate change.
Titles in the series:
Assets, Livelihoods, and Social Policy
Building Equality and Opportunity through Social Guarantees:
New Approaches to Public Policy and the Realization of Rights
Delivering Services in Multicultural Societies
Inclusive States: Social Policy and Structural Inequalities
Institutional Pathways to Equity: Addressing Inequality Traps
Social Dimensions of Climate Change: Equity and Vulnerability
in a Warming WorldCONTENTS
Foreword xi
About the Editors xiii
About the Authors xv
Acknowledgments xxi
Abbreviations xxiv
Chapter 1. Equity and Vulnerability in a Warming World:
Introduction and Overview 1
Robin Mearns and Andrew Norton
PART I. UNDERSTANDING VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Chapter 2. Vulnerability Does Not Fall from the Sky:
Toward Multiscale, Pro-Poor Climate Policy 47
Jesse Ribot
Chapter 3. Implications of Climate Change for Armed Confl ict 75
Halvard Buhaug, Nils Petter Gleditsch,
and Ole Magnus Theisen
Chapter 4. Climate Change and Migration:
Emerging Patterns in the Developing World 103
Clionadh Raleigh and Lisa Jordan
Chapter 5. The Gender Dimensions of Poverty
and Climate Change Adaptation 133
Justina Demetriades and Emily Esplenviii • CONTENTS
Chapter 6. The Role of Indigenous Knowledge
in Crafting Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies
for Climate Change in Latin America 145
Jakob Kronik and Dorte Verner
PART II. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND CLIMATE ACTION
Chapter 7. Local Institutions and Adaptation to Climate Change 173
Arun Agrawal
Chapter 8. Climate Change for Agrarian Societies in Drylands:
Implications and Future Pathways 199
Simon Anderson, John Morton, and Camilla Toulmin
Chapter 9. Toward Pro-Poor Adaptation to Climate Change in the
Urban Centers of Low- and Middle-Income Countries 231
Caroline Moser and David Satterthwaite
Chapter 10. Social Policies for Adaptation to Climate Change 259
Rasmus Heltberg, Paul Bennett Siegel,
and Steen Lau Jorgensen
Chapter 11. Seeing People through the Trees and the Carbon:
Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change without
Undermining Rights and Livelihoods 277
Andy White, Jeffrey Hatcher, Arvind Khare,
Megan Liddle, Augusta Molnar,
and William D. Sunderlin
Index 303
FIGURES
1.1. Development-Adaptation Continuum 31
2.1. Impact Analysis 52
2.2. Vulnerability 52
3.1. Frequency and Severity of Armed Confl ict, 1946–2007 79
3.2. Intrastate Armed Confl icts, 1989–2007 80
3.3. Trends in Global Warming and Armed Confl80