From poverty to power - Oxfam-Québec

FROM POVERTY TO POWERBangladesh and a number of small island states face national disasterif sea levels continue to rise, and are vociferous in their demands foraction. Others are in the middle of huge economic growth spurts,heavily dependent on rising fossil fuel use, and are rapidly becomingsome of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world.Such governments remain suspicious of calls to curb their emissions,pointing out that the rich North has industrialised on the basis of fossilfuels, and now wants to deny poor countries that same opportunity.They also argue that it is natural for large countries such as China orIndia to have large aggregate emissions: true ‘carbon equity’ should beon a per capita basis. On that reckoning, emissions from the industrialisednations still dwarf those from emerging powers.They have a point, but global warming is a reality, and largedeveloping countries will eventually have to accept disciplines ontheir emissions. However, the terms of such disciplines, in particularthe justice or injustice with which the pain is distributed betweencountries and between groups within them, will be hotly disputed.The transition to a low-carbon economy will be greatly eased if therich countries move first and fastest (after all, they genuinely need tomake deep cuts, while even the fastest-growing developing countriesonly need to stabilise at or around current levels), provide the technologyand additional funding needed to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, andprovide the large-scale financing needed urgently by developingcountries to adapt and prevent the worst impacts in coming decades.Climate change represents one of the greatest ever challenges toglobal governance: it is a turbo-charged version of the other threatsthat the international system was created to counter, such as war orfinancial crises. Somehow, the international community must worktogether to drastically reduce carbon emissions, while ensuringthe right to development for poor women and men in a carbonconstrainedworld. And the challenge is time-bound: inadequateaction will determine an irreversible shift within the next 15 years.Powerful interests profit from the lack of regulation, in this case ofCO 2emissions rather than the arms trade or capital flows. Globalinstitutions are weak or are dominated by governments in thrall tothose vested interests. The benefits from preventive measures will only422