Notes from Copenhagen Climate Change talks

As you will know by now, the United Nations Climate Change negotiations have at last begun today in Copenhagen.

World Vision is represented by a comparatively small delegation, and it’s easy to feel somewhat overwhelmed by the scale of this event. The venue is huge, and there are estimated to be 30,000 delegates - the population of a small town! While some of the negotiations go on behind closed doors, there are many side events and public exhibits which provide a lot of interest, and meetings with NGOs who work together to monitor the process and lobby on issues that concern us. As a Christian humanitarian, development and advocacy organization, the focus of our work is on the poorest and most vulnerable communities and nations.

Despite the recent claims by some (quoting leaked emails), the overwhelming consensus of climate scientists is that the world’s climate is changing and that these changes have grave implications for the planet, for humanity and particularly for the poor.

Poor children are already suffering from climate change and they will continue to suffer the most. The poor are least able to protect themselves from its effects and they are least able to recover from climatic disasters. They tend to live in the most vulnerable areas, such as low-lying land prone to flooding, or marginal agricultural land prone to drought. They are the most vulnerable to the spread of tropical diseases. They are more likely to have to leave their homes in search of water or to escape flooding. They are the most vulnerable to the effects of the conflicts likely to arise from international tensions over water, energy and displaced people.

Climate change is not an issue for those who happen to be interested in ‘the environment’. It is a cross-cutting global emergency that is already being felt and which will impact every area of World Vision’s work in coming years. It will affect the core areas of our work, including health, food security, water security, disasters, conflict and refugees, gender, Christian witness, the rights of children, and economic development.

Climate change constitutes one of the greatest threats ever faced by the poor. How World Vision responds will determine our effectiveness in achieving our mission for decades to come. How those leaders and negotiators here in Copenhagen respond will determine the kind of world which our children and grandchildren (and those beyond them) will inherit.