CHAPTER 11
Conclusion Sanne Tikjøb and Dorte Verner
Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. More than an environmental issue, climate change and variability threaten to reverse recent progress in poverty reduction and economic growth. This book links carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and climate change to environmental degradation and to implications for social and economic opportunities for development. Environmental degradation affects water availability, land, fisheries, and wildlife, with social implications affecting food security, livelihoods, health, and habitat. Excessive stress from these factors may cause additional impacts such as conflict, migration, and increased poverty and inequality. Hence, climate change is a threat to poverty reduction and if not addressed will further exacerbate the vulnerability of the poor. Social implications of climate change are already being felt in Latin America and the Caribbean, and it is the poorest who are most affected. Even if national and global efforts to address climate change improve, current and future climate trends have considerable momentum, and they will dramatically affect economic, human, and social development for years to come. Poverty, inequality, water access, health, and migration are and will be measurably affected by changes in the climate. The study reported in this book found that many already poor regions are becoming poorer; traditional livelihoods are being challenged; water scarcity is increasing, 305