International commission proposes adaptation plan

Sustainable Business.com: A international Commision on Climate Change and Development yesterday unveiled a roadmap proposal for financing smart economic development through strong institutions. The 14-person commission, appointed by the Swedish government to advise political leaders on climate change, presented a report at the United Nations in New York yesterday and will present its findings today at the Swedish Embassy in Washington D.C.

"The way that nations respond to the global recession can provide the basis for a path of sustainable development that eases the planet's interlocked emergencies, where ecosystems are valued as much as other forms of capital," said Gunilla Carlsson, chair of the commission and the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation.

The Commission is addressing climate change adaptation and its links with disaster risk reduction. Since its launch by the Swedish government in late 2007, the group has met with governments and citizens struggling with the effects of climate change in Cambodia, Mali, and Bolivia. It will issue policy recommendations on how to strengthen resilience of vulnerable communities and countries, establish appropriate institutional and financial architecture for adaptation, and mobilize new financial resources.

Developing countries are particularly exposed to the impacts of droughts, floods and wind storms as well as longer term changes in ecosystems. International negotiations have focused on reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere--with little success. Although all efforts must continue to reach agreement on implementing GHG limits, this work cannot blind governments to the need to begin to adapt to changing climate systems right now, the Commission said.

"Adaptation is more than ‘climate proofing,'" said Jonathan Lash, a member of the commission and president of the World Resources Institute. "It will require resources far beyond existing official development assistance, but it is a moral and strategic necessity."…

Hiking towards a storm in Morvan, France, shot by Donar Reiskoffer, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution license versions 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, and 1.0.