Reducing Poverty, Protecting Livelihoods, and Building Assets in a Changing Climate

Analyzing the social impacts of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean, this book presents evidence that we must improve our efforts on resilience and adaptation measures to counter the consequences of climate change on the most vulnerable population groups. The model developed in the book illustrates the necessity of addressing climate change in its proper developmental context. This model may well be used on other continents; in particular, it may be relevant in Africa.

—Søren Pind, Minister for Development Cooperation, Denmark This book brings an important contribution for our understanding of how climate change and variability impact society and livelihoods and in particular on how the poor are affected. It should be read by everyone who has a responsibility in development policies and in capacity building in LAC. —Antonio Magalhães, Former Secretary of Planning, Brazil This immensely important book provides one of the earliest evidence-based assessments of climate threats to development. Its arguments and organization will be a model for future efforts to understand and address climate impacts on development outcomes.

—Arun Agrawal, Professor and Associated Dean University of Michigan, USA Democratization and institutional reform and strengthening was, during the last three decades, the Latin American way to respond to the challenges of coping with severe macroeconomic imbalances, recovering growth, and reducing poverty. This important book shows that this process has to be deepened to deal with the social consequences of climate change.

—Andre Urani, President of Instituto Natura, Brazil It is right to focus on the impact of climatic change on poor people. We all need to be cognizant of the fact that those who have contributed the least to the depletion of natural resources and to the changes in climate patterns are those who will suffer the most from unsustainable human ecosystems.

—Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen, Rektor at University of Aarhus, Denmark