Institute of Development Studies

Fighting Poverty and Climate Change Together

The final report by the Swedish Commission for Climate Change and Development calls for the fight against poverty and the fight against climate change to be addressed together. The Commission was set in 2007 to look at the human dimensions of climate change. It draws on IDS’ work on social protection and climate change and IDS Fellow Merylyn Hedger was a member of its expert group.

The report Closing the Gaps: Disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change in developing countries (6.6MB pdf) was presented to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the UN annual Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in New York on 14 May 2009.

Closing the Gaps makes a number of recommendations for action on climate change to be led from the highest political and organisational level. Sweden prepares to take on the EU presidency on 1 July 2009 and will lead the EU through the UN Climate Change International Negotiations in Copenhagen this December. IIED and IDS will be convening a workshop in London on June 30 where the Swedish Commission for Climate Change and Development will present the report and its findings and discuss its implications for policy.

Context matters

The report is based on studies by the Commission on the impacts of climate change in vulnerable environments in different parts of the world. Its conclusions emphasise the importance of context when considering solutions to adapt to climate change effects. Evidence from Cambodia, Mali and Bolivia shows how the most appropriate responses will vary depending on the nature of the exposure to climate risks and different politics and governance.

Social protection central to climate change adaptation

The report states that for the poorest communities the priority is to build people’s capacity to adapt and resilience – their ability to manage risks and shocks. The Swedish Commission is proposing that social protection must become a standard feature when building the adaptive capacity of the most vulnerable households and individuals.

New and additional funding

The Commission calls for the mobilisation of new and additional money to support adaptation to climate change effects, reduce the risk of disasters, and strengthen the resilience of communities now. This funding must not divert resources from ongoing development programmes – donors are urged to honour their development assistance commitments.