By Martin Banks - 4th June 2009
These kinds of technologies must be made available to all communities in developing countries that can benefit from them
Francis Atul Sarker
UN climate change talks in Bonn "will fail the poor" unless they provide the "tools" to deal with the dire consequences of climate change.
That is the main conclusion of a new report by CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis, the largest networks of Catholic development and relief agencies in the world.
They have called on governments negotiating a new global climate change agreement in the German city not to forget about adaptation in their efforts to strike a deal on technology.
In their joint report launched at the UN climate change negotiations taking place in Bonn this week, CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis highlight the need for urgent enhanced action on adaptation technologies, which they insist are key for adapting to climate change, reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.
The report, "Reducing Vulnerability, Enhancing Resilience: The importance of Adaptation Technologies for the Post-2012 Climate Agreement’, will be forwarded to the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in Denmark.
Sol Oyuela, policy expert from the CIDSE and Caritas networks, said, "A substantial increase in investment and international cooperation on technology is one of the keys to reaching consensus amongst developed and developing nations on a new global agreement.
"Up until now, however, the negotiations have focused on high technologies for reducing emissions in developed and industrialising countries and technology for adaptation has received little attention.
‘The negotiations must ensure a coherent and coordinated approach to technology and adaptation under the new agreement, and dedicate the financing and institutional capacity necessary to support them.
‘The negotiating text which has come out contains some promising language which can be built on in this direction, but there still is a need for more focus on the adaptation technologies, vital for the future of those most exposed to the effects of climate change,’ she added.
She said sustainable afforestation projects in the Satkhira district of Bangladesh demonstrate how communities in developing countries are successfully implementing adaptation technologies.
"These projects not only protect riverbanks from erosion in face of increasing floods, the fruit provides additional income for the local community and the trees contribute to mitigation by absorbing CO2."
Francis Atul Sarker, director of development at Caritas in Bangladesh, said, "Adaptation technologies refer to the selection of the trees and the way in which they are planted, but also to the knowledge and organisational capacity of the community to manage and maintain them.
"These kinds of technologies must be made available to all communities in developing countries that can benefit from them."
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.