Climate Smart Development in the South

7th Knowledge for Development Conference

Additional tags: Climate , Development

The next few years will be crucial for determining the policy response to climate change. Whereas mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its consequences have become important issues in the international policy arena, they have yet to become major policy issues within most developing countries, especially amongst the LDCs – countries that are actually amongst the most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. Until now, just a few countries have formulated adaptation programmes and/or mitigation strategies, often supported by international organizations and NGOs.

How to align ‘climate proofing’ (and growing land pressures) with poverty reduction strategies?

However, there is still much uncertainty about the types of climate change impact that can be expected in most LCD countries. Will there be a breakdown of agricultural systems as a result of increased exposure to drought, rising temperatures and more erratic rainfall? What effects will climate change have for the large and ever growing urban centres in developing countries? Will there be displacement in response to growing risks of flooding and tropical storms in coastal and low-lying areas? Changes of rainfall patterns and glacial retreat could trigger water scarcity as water catchment areas come under strain, which could, in turn, affect access to clean water, but also result in health risks including malaria and dengue etc. etc. Much needs to be achieved in terms of determining and analysing vulnerability to climate change and identifying current and potential adaptations.

Sub-Saharan African countries, in particular, urgently require action to adapt to climate change, including decisive interventions by industrialized countries to cut emissions, if the continent and its people are to thrive in the 21st century (UNEP 2007). In order to handle the climate change challenges, developing countries are to make investments in strengthening climate change resilience and making economies ‘climate proof’. To the extent that LDC governments have started to formulate climate change policies, this often implies a growing pressure on available land. Many LDCs are ‘home’ to foreign and domestic investors who - inspired by actions to reduce Co2 emissions – make large scale investments in the expansion of bio-fuels production (e.g., oil palm, jatropha, sugar cane plantations). This, in turn, creates increasing demands for agricultural land. In addition, attempts are made to launch programmes in the fields of Payment for Environmental Services (PES) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD ), often in collaboration with international organizations and NGOs, which generate demand for forested lands or areas for tree planting. Other climate change related initiatives contributing to a land rush include renewable energy projects (e.g., dam construction). Such large-scale land acquisitions do not necessarily contribute to climate smart development, let alone towards food security and poverty reduction.

 

Aims of the conference

This seminar is organized by International Development Studies IDS (Utrecht University) and LANDac (see www.landgovernance.org ), in collaboration with IOB (University of Antwerp). It aims to give an overview of climate change policies that are currently implemented by LDCs, and to assess the implications for equitable and sustainable development. How to align climate change policies and the rising global interest in land with development and poverty reduction priorities? What are the implications for large-scale land acquisitions for climate smart development and vice versa; what is the long run impact for equitable food security and poverty reduction?

 

Guiding questions:

· What do countries know about their ‘hotspots’ of climate change and their vulnerabilities and what kind of climate change policies are currently developed?

· What are the consequences of climate change and climate change policies for land use change and how do these affect vulnerable groups?

· What are the implications for sustainable and equitable development? How to align ‘climate proofing’ (and growing land pressures) with poverty reduction strategies?

 

Participants:

Academic scholars (social and physical sciences); students (IDS), policy makers and practitioners . IDS students will prepare country reports on the basis of internet research.

Collaborating institutes:

IDS (Utrecht University) – DDE (Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs) – African Studies Centre (Leiden) – Disaster Studies (Wageningen University) – Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) Amsterdam – Agriterra – Hivos (Den Haag) – Triodos Facet – IOB Antwerp University.

 

Chairs:

Frits van der Wal (DDE) & Prof. dr. Annelies Zoomers (IDS)

Programme

 

Morning Session (’Boothzaal” Library)

09.15-09.45 Coffee and registration

0945-10.00 Welcome and introduction by Prof Annelies Zoomers (Internatonal

 Development Studies, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University)

10.00-11.00 Key Note address by Prof Ton Dietz (Director, African Studies Centre):

 “Climate change adaptation: looking back at lessons from an 'early research'”

11.00-11.30 Coffee

11.30- 12.45 Introductions to the workshop sessions/panel discussions in the afternoon

 Martin Prowse, Paul Burgers & Ari Susanti,, Robert Ochieng, Fabio de Castro,

 Tobias Schmitz

12.45-13.45 Lunch

 

Afternoon Session

(venues workshops/panels “Unnik 211, Ruppert 127, Ruppert C, Ruppert 136”; Plenary session “Boothzaal”)

 13.45 -15.15 Workshops/panels:

1. How should we evaluate climate projects? By Martin Prowse, Jos Vaessen (IOB Antwerp) and Birte Snilstveit from the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)

2. Policy responses in Asia By Paul Burgers and Ari Susanti (IDS Utrecht)

3. Policy responses in Africa By Robert Ochieng (WUR) & Tobias Schmitz (BothEnds) ( to be confirmed)

4. Policy responses in Latin America By Fabio de Castro

 15.15-15.45 Tea/coffee

15.45-16.30 Reporting back & Plenary discussion with panellists on How to Proceed?: Prof. Ton Dietz, Tobias Schmitz, Martin Prowse

Final Reflections: Duncan Pruett (Oxfam Novib)(to be confirmed)

Chaired By Frits van der Wal

Closure by Prof Annelies Zoomers (IDS)

 16.30 -17.45 Drinks

 

Registration:

If you are interested to attend, please send an email to landac@geo.uu.nl (registration: knowledge for development) before November 1 (capacity limited to 125 persons).