Poverty reduction must not exacerbate climate change

Dawson, T.P. and Allen, S.J. (2007) Poverty reduction must not exacerbate climate change. Nature, 446, [372]. (doi:10.1038/446372a).

Record type: Letter

Abstract

Letter: Current international policy responses to the world's two most serious problems, poverty and climate change, seem to be pulling in opposite directions.
To boost economic growth in less developed countries, international development agencies and the World Trade Organization at the Doha conference in 2001 called for a reduction in European Union and US food subsidies and the removal of trade barriers. This drive towards globalization, resulting in a free flow of trade across borders, should benefit the poorest nations through increased access to global export markets, investment capital and improved technology. These in turn should increase job opportunities and reduce poverty. According to the World Bank's 2003 report, international tourism is expected to play a major role in sustainable development of all the 49 least developed countries, where it currently provides the primary source of foreign exchange earnings.
At the same time, the pressing need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions is becoming ever clearer. Politicians can no longer evade a range of tough policy choices, as outlined in your Editorial “Light at the end of the tunnel”

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