Presentation by Andreas Rechkemmer (IHDP) during the High Level Policy Forum - After 2015: Promoting Pro-poor Policy after the MDGs - Brussels, 23 June 2009 - http://www.bit.ly/after2015
3. TheâŠAnthropoceneâŠ
â˘âŻ The Anthropocene is a term
invented by Paul Crutzen to signify
the fact that human beings for the
first time have taken hold not only of
the economy and of population
dynamics, but of the planet's physical
systems.
â˘âŻ The geologists call our time the
holocene but Crutzen noted that the
last two hundred years are really a
unique era, not only in human history
but in the Earth's physical history as
well.
5. Lenton, T.M., Held, H., Kriegler, E., Hall, J.W., Lucht, W.,
Rahmstorf, S., Schellnhuber, H.J., 2008. Tipping elements
in the Earth's climate system. PNAS 105, 1786-1793.
ESSPâŠisâŠaâŠjointâŠini:a:veâŠofâŠ
SwitchâŠandâŠchokeâŠpointsâŠ
6. Cartogram: Greenhouse gases EmissionsâŠâŠ
Countries scaled according to cumulative emissions in billion tonnes carbon
equivalent in 2002. (Patz, Gibbs, et al, 2007)
ESSPâŠisâŠaâŠjointâŠini:a:veâŠofâŠ
7. Cartogram: Health impacts of climate change
Deaths from malaria & dengue fever, diarrhoea,
malnutrition, flooding and (OECD countries) heatwaves
WHO regions scaled according to estimated mortality (per million people) in the
year 2000, attributable to the climate change that occurred from 1970s to 2000
(Patz, Gibbs, et al, 2007)
ESSPâŠisâŠaâŠjointâŠini:a:veâŠofâŠ
11. EcosystemâŠServicesâŠââŠWhyâŠWorry?âŠ
Three major problems are associated with the management of the worlds ecosystems:
1.⯠Approx. 60% (15/24) of the ecosystem services examined during the
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment are being degraded or used
unsustainably.
2.⯠Established but incomplete evidence that changes being made in
ecosystems are increasing the likelihood of nonlinear changes in
ecosystems which have important consequences for human well-being.
3. The harmful effects of the degradation of ecosystem services are being
borne disproportionately by the poor, women and indigenous peoples, are
contributing to growing inequalities, and are sometimes the principle factor
for causing poverty and social conďŹict.
12. Protec:ngâŠEcosystemâŠServicesâŠ
Institutions and governance:
â˘âŻ
hanges in institutional and environmental governance frameworks for effective
C
management of ecosystems.
Economics and incentives:
â˘âŻ
conomic and ďŹnancial interventions as instruments to regulate the use of ecosystem
E
goods and services.
Social and behavioural responses:
â˘âŻ Public education, civil society action and empowerment of communities can be
instrumental in responding to ecosystem degradation.
Technological responses:
â˘âŻ
evelopment of technologies designed to increase the efďŹciency of resource use and
D
reduce impacts of drivers of environmental change.
Knowledge responses:
â˘âŻ
ffective management of ecosystems is constrained by a lack of knowledge and
E
information.
16. TheâŠevolu:onâŠofâŠGECâŠandâŠDevelopmentâŠâŠ
strandsâŠofâŠthinking âŠ
Global Environmental Systems Science
Development Research
Change Inter-disciplinary
research
Research
Trans-disciplinary
Processes of the Earth System Research Processes of social
development - Poverty
Vulnerability Alleviation
Adaptability Environment AND
Resilience Development
Human Dimensions â Impacts of
GEC and Sustainability
Impacts of Globalisation on the
Environment FOR Development
Environment
FEEDBACKS
SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS
ABRUPT CHANGE OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS
22. Human-driven erosion of resilience
â˘âŻ impacting on ecosystem via emissions of waste,
pollutants and climate change
â˘âŻ removing biological diversity, whole functional groups of
species or whole trophic levels
â˘âŻ altering the magnitude, frequency and duration of
disturbance regimes
â˘âŻ The combined effects of those pressures makes
ecological systems more vulnerable to changes that
previously could be absorbed
âŠ
Source:âŠIGBPâŠ2007