Developing Countries Respond to Climate Change
FrontLines - April 2010
By Ben Barber
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A USAID -supported program in Brazil trains youth for energy
jobs. Here, youth in São João learn how to install solar panels to
power a computer center.
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For two decades, a fierce battle
raged in the media and public
square pitting environmentalists
against industry leaders as the
world struggled to understand
and react to the changing
climate.
Today, overwhelming scientific
evidence has led to a consensus
among scientists that climate
change is real, is caused by
human activities, and demands
immediate action.
Scientists report a rise in carbon
dioxide levels in the atmosphere
and a subsequent rise in
sea levels—caused by warming
oceans that expand from absorbing
carbon dioxide, not melting
glaciers—as well as unusual
swings in the global climate system.
There have been droughts
in some regions, bigger-than-usual
storms in others.
The United States and other
industrialized countries have
begun to address climate
change, but experts fear these
actions may not be enough.
More than 90 percent of carbon
dioxide emissions growth
from now until 2030 will come
from the developing world,
according to the International
Energy Agency.
As the world’s largest aid
donor to developing countries,
the United States has worked for
decades to boost economic
growth and help these countries
cope with the effects of climate
change such as floods, famine,
storms, drought, and the loss of
grazing land and wildlife.
USAID also helps countries
develop and adapt to climate
change without emitting large
amounts of greenhouse gases.
Political leaders, government
delegates, scientists, and activists
gathered in Copenhagen
in December 2009 for annual
international negotiations on
climate change—a follow up
to the 1997 Kyoto meeting
that produced the first global
effort to rein in greenhouse
gases.
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Indian women trained through a USAID program prepare mango bars using a solar-powered dryer unit. Solar dryers in India enable farmers to efficiently use energy to turn
excess produce into food and income off-season.
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As part of the Copenhagen
Accord, most countries agreed to
scale back greenhouse gas emissions.
A few refused, arguing that
poor countries would be blocked
from growth if they were forced
to reduce greenhouse gases.
Into this cauldron of opinions
and interests—involving scientists,
economists, activists, developing
countries, and industrial
powers—USAID has contributed
expertise and served as a voice
for what works in poor countries.
USAID is helping countries prepare
for climate change while
seeking new ways to grow.
Developing countries are
especially affected by changes in
climate because their economies
are vulnerable, they are less able
to change, and climate variability
was already a challenge to
them, said Bill Breed, USAID’s
top climate change specialist.
“The chemistry of the ocean is
changing—it is becoming more
acidic” from absorbing increased
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
Breed said. Acidic oceans disrupt
food chains, which could reduce
fish numbers.
There has been a change in
precipitation patterns, he
added—some places get more
rain, others get less, and the timing
and volume matter.
For example, in Kenya the
seasonal rains that usually come
like clockwork are becoming
unpredictable. Droughts from
2003 to 2006 led to a 90 percent
loss of livestock in some areas.
As a result, nearly 11 million
people required food aid.
“Such changes exacerbate
existing development challenges,”
said Breed. “In the tropics,
they affect countries already
operating at the margins.”
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Children in southern Kazakhstan play near a water pump. USAID responded to water scarcity tensions
in the country by increasing access to drinking water and irrigation.
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The Agency provides information
to help prepare for the effects
of climate change such as rising
seas, storm surges, droughts, and
unpredictable rain patterns.
“We are making our projects
and activities more resilient to
climate change,” Breed said.
Some crops, for example,
may no longer be able to get the
rain they need, or the rain may
fall during flowering periods,
which reduces fertilization. So
experts are helping farmers
breed crops that can thrive in
new conditions such as heat,
drought, and flooding. They also
show farmers how to harvest
water by building small structures
to catch and hold water.
“The question one asks is if
a place is going to be habitable
in 10 or 15 years,” said Breed.
A community may require a
change in crops or practices, or
even that people move away to
survive.
Breed suggested looking at
Phoenix, Ariz., in the southwestern
United States where the water
table fell from 6 feet to 400 feet
below the surface in some areas
as aquifers were tapped to supply
a growing population. In the U.S.
case, ample power allows lifting
of water to meet needs, but even
here limits are increasingly
apparent.
To help anticipate climate
changes, USAID has set up geospatial
observation centers with
NASA and developing country
institutions in Africa and Central
America. The centers analyze satellite
observations, historical data,
local environmental information,
and forecasts to help figure out
how to adapt, manage the environment,
and prepare for disasters.
The centers monitor changes
in forests and land cover, greenhouse
gas emissions, and red
tides. They give advance warnings
of thunderstorms, and identify
places likely to be flooded.
The climate change experts
also see an opportunity to “build
settlements better” with improved
drainage that can prevent flooding
and water damage.
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A farmer fetches corn from a mud silo at Janjori-Kukuo in Ghana. With USAID support, farmers in Ghana have improved their crop production as climate change puts additional stress on agricultural
systems in Africa.
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USAID also helps countries
promote clean energy and make
their utility sectors more profitable.
Electricity is often subsidized
in developing countries,
which doesn’t make economic
sense since it is typically the
rich, with the highest rate of
consumption, who reap the
benefits.
“Over the next 50 years we
need to cut emissions [of
greenhouse gases] by 50 percent
from current levels,” said Breed.
“We need …clean technology.
Although we need electricity,
efficiency and conservation are
part of the picture.”
USAID plans to help countries
attract investment for clean
development and enable their
participation in carbon markets.
The Agency is also working
on pilot projects on carbon
finance—paying people to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions
or increase carbon storage.
Protecting forests is a major
factor in reducing climate
change. In East Africa, USAID
worked with 35,000 small-scale
farmers to plant 4 million trees
for carbon trapping, environmental
benefits, and personal
use. Farmers are paid for the
carbon their trees take in and
store.
U.S. funding for core international
climate change efforts has
grown from $316 million in
2009 to more than $1 billion in
2010 and reaches nearly $1.4
billion in the administration
request for 2011. USAID, the
State Department, and the Treasury
Department use this money
to meet the challenges that come
with a changing climate.
★
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U.S. Agency for International Development
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