Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Adaptation science not trickling down, says commission

SciDev.net: Knowledge about adapting to climate change lies at an international level and is failing to reach those in the developing world who need it most, according to the international Commission on Climate Change and Development. Bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) need to start distributing new science on adaptation to the places where it can have the greatest effect, says the commission, whose final report was published last week (14 May).

The 13-strong commission, established by the Swedish Government in December 2007, includes such figures as Nobel peace prize-winner Wangari Maathai; Sun Honglie, director of the China Climate Change Expert Committee; and Youba Sokona of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory. Its 80-page report, 'Closing the Gaps: Disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change in developing countries', calls for more money for adaptation research and better distribution methods for its findings.

"There can be no global agreement without adaptation assistance and because of the nature of climate impacts there will be much less global security without it," says the report. Some US$1–2 billion should be released urgently to help the most needy countries — largely those in Africa and the poorer small island nations, says the report.

Cyclone Gonu in 2007, heading northwest into the Gulf of Oman

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