Politics may be greatest hazard to climate progress: experts
Creative Commons: Eva Prokup, 2007
Climate change impacts – from worsening droughts to new pots of climate-related cash for fragile states – may turn out to be a catalyst for worsening conflict. If so, keeping an eye on local politics and the quality of governance could be as important in heading off climate crises as breeding drought-resistant crops or protecting forests, climate security experts said at a recent meeting in London.
Growing climate change-related tensions “are not simply about climate change but about… the weak social contract between government and people,” said Janani Vivekananda, who works on the issue for International Alert, a London-based international peace-building organisation which hosted the gathering.
In Ethiopia, one focus of a new national climate change strategy is getting nomadic pastoralists, who have been hit hard by worsening drought, into permanent settlements. On the surface, the project seeks to boost resilience against climate pressures. At the same time, it allows Ethiopia’s government to gain sway over a long-time political opposition group through measures such as imposing taxes and more administrative control, experts in the region say.
In Tajikistan, the government is considering building a large hydroelectric dam for cleaner power. But it hopes to export most of the power to Afghanistan and the new reservoir will flood land belonging to political rivals. The project could also stir up regional tensions, with downstream countries unhappy about a potential reduction in the flow of water, warned Marc Fumagalli, a Tajikistan expert at International Alert.
In Nepal, local initiatives to combat climate change – the kind of projects many donors like to fund – aren’t always proving effective, in part because communities sometimes lack technical expertise to make good decisions, Vivekananda said.
Read more: Reuters Alertnet >>
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