Previous

Page - 6

Health Related Impacts

Impact of climate change on health and associated adaptation measures has been inadequately studied, possibly because this requires specific expertise. Research needs to focus on services and systems to address potential health challenges,

and also sudden events such as unexpected changes in temperature and precipitation. An area which has been under-represented is implications of food under-production due to drought, increasing salinity or extreme weather events.

Governance of Adaptation across Scales

Effective vertical linkage between national level thinking and policies, with local level discussions and actions are needed. Raising awareness of climate change issues, both among public officials at various levels, and the general public and non-governmental stakeholders is required.

Conclusions

Value creation and addition in pro poor investments through increasing profitability of environmentally-sustainable practices such as carbon credits etc. would be the products of a new development strategy that is the result of a public policy focused on mitigating the effects of climate change. The processes and structures of these mitigating mechanisms need to be streamlined for the poor to benefit from it.

Adaptation, however poses a different set of challenges and opportunities. There is no quantitative measure of adaptive capacity; although there is wide agreement that the determinants of high adaptive capacity include access to resources, human and social capital and risk management tools. Rural population generally lacks in these resources, making them highly vulnerable to climate change. Nations should follow individual adaptation strategies tailored to their needs; but success should be measured against consistent parameters.

There is a view that large scale adaptation programs may be premature, as well as misdirected. Scholars also believe that the reasons for low adaptive capacity are highly diverse. All these indicate that there is need to proceed with caution and present individual solutions dependent on needs, rather than a 'one solution fits all' strategy. However, strategies should start to be implemented without delay.

• «Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• Next »

* Contributed by: -
Suddhachit Mitra, is a research (M. Phil) student of Management at the West Bengal University of Technology, Kolkata.