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Adapting to Climate Change

Harvesting rainwater on a large scale, tapping ocean water for industrial uses and adopting shallow wells when rivers become seasonal resources are some ways that nations may be forced to cope with the consequences of climate change – but few are prepared to do so.

That was the concern at a global conference on climate change that met in Kenya last November, when nations from around the world met to address the need for adaptation strategies, especially for developing countries. Many African nations – already suffering problems with drought and famine – will fare even worse as global warming increases flooding, drought and the inevitable food and water shortages that accompany them.

To date, most efforts to deal with climate change have focused on strategies to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, in the hopes of warding off some of the dangerous consequences of a warmer planet. But now experts fear that without a back-up plan for how to adapt to these consequences, many nations will be unprepared for problems that we may not be able to keep at bay.

Those expected to be hit hardest are developing nations, which can least afford the technologies they’ll need to adapt. A fund to help these countries is in the works.

Meanwhile, a number of countries – including the United States, the largest emitter of greenhouse gases – still have not ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which calls for substantially reducing greenhouse gases in an effort to slow or prevent the consequences of climate change.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org