World Bank urges climate 'action now'
source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8256961.stm
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Climate change will be a serious barrier to growth in poorer nations and must be curbed, says the World Bank.
The bank's World Development Report (WDR) urges a rapid scaling-up of spending on clean energy research and protection for poorer countries.
Even a warming of 2C (3.6F) - the G8's target - could reduce GDP in poor nations, the report concludes.
The bank urges governments to conclude an "equitable deal" at December's UN climate summit in Copenhagen.
That "equitable deal" should involve industrialised countries paying for the damage that their historical emissions have caused and will cause in poorer parts of the world, it suggests.
"Developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change - a crisis that is not of their making and for which they are the least prepared," said World Bank president Robert Zoellick.
"For that reason, an equitable deal in Copenhagen is vitally important."
Part of that deal, the report says, involves industrialised countries making rapid cuts in their greenhouse gas output, creating "emissions space" to allow for rising fossil fuel use in poorer societies.
The acceptance of "historical responsibility" found resonance among organisations that campaign for the relief of developing world poverty.
"A broad coalition from Bolivian President Evo Morales to the World Bank is united in saying that past emissions matter, and that rich countries have to confront this rather than avoid it," noted Tom Sherman, head of climate change with the charity ActionAid.
The report concludes that policy "cannot be framed as a choice between growth and climate change".
In fact, it says, "climate-smart policies are those that enhance development, reduce vulnerability and finance the transition to low-carbon economic growth".
The bank's World Development Report (WDR) urges a rapid scaling-up of spending on clean energy research and protection for poorer countries.
Even a warming of 2C (3.6F) - the G8's target - could reduce GDP in poor nations, the report concludes.
The bank urges governments to conclude an "equitable deal" at December's UN climate summit in Copenhagen.
That "equitable deal" should involve industrialised countries paying for the damage that their historical emissions have caused and will cause in poorer parts of the world, it suggests.
"Developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change - a crisis that is not of their making and for which they are the least prepared," said World Bank president Robert Zoellick.
"For that reason, an equitable deal in Copenhagen is vitally important."
Part of that deal, the report says, involves industrialised countries making rapid cuts in their greenhouse gas output, creating "emissions space" to allow for rising fossil fuel use in poorer societies.
The acceptance of "historical responsibility" found resonance among organisations that campaign for the relief of developing world poverty.
"A broad coalition from Bolivian President Evo Morales to the World Bank is united in saying that past emissions matter, and that rich countries have to confront this rather than avoid it," noted Tom Sherman, head of climate change with the charity ActionAid.
The report concludes that policy "cannot be framed as a choice between growth and climate change".
In fact, it says, "climate-smart policies are those that enhance development, reduce vulnerability and finance the transition to low-carbon economic growth".
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