Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary

Climate change is not perceived as a priority by the planners and policy makers in most poor countries because of more urgent survival needs, including diseases such as HIV/AIDS, education, infrastructure and poverty. Vulnerability to climate impacts is, however, rapidly becoming a national concern in Tanzania. Impacts on agriculture and water resources due to extreme weather events, impacts on infrastructures such as roads, railways and bridges due to floods and cyclones, impacts on tourism and coastal resources due to sea-level rise and impacts on forest resources are starting to change the thinking and style of both planners and policy makers. Mainstreaming of climate change issues in the process of preparing National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) has also helped to raise awareness.

Mainstreaming entails integration of sustainability principles into development strategies and, for most poor countries, building capacities for better identification of environmental concerns and opportunities. It also entails the execution of appropriate interventions and performance indicators and attendant capacity to monitor progress. The latter implies properly integrating actions into plans and budgets. In Tanzania, the local government planning and budget cycle requires that planning should start at the lowest level where most people are vulnerable and thus emphasizes a bottom-up planning approach to ensure that people’s priorities and concerns are captured.

There is a clear need to link climate change concerns with poverty eradication efforts at all levels. Tanzania has issued guidelines for mainstreaming environment, including climate change, into the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty. Changes will be required in the way that baseline development assistance is delivered to create integrated strategies for climate resilient development.

At the global level, efforts such as the climate treaty initiatives and the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms can, through mainstreaming, play a significant role in changing the planning process. Yet inadequate resources are being committed by the international community to address the issue of vulnerability of local communities and their resources in poor countries. Meeting both mitigation and adaptation costs requires adequate international financial and technical support be set aside through processes such as the Least Developed Country Fund and Adaptation Fund. Continuing support for the development of current NAPAs so that they can become long-term strategic climate change adaptation planning documents is critical, as is support for their implementation to enhance local coping strategies and planning processes at district and village levels.

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Bright Ideas

General Electric plans to cut solar installation costs by half

Project 90 by 2030 supports South African school children and managers reduce their carbon footprint through its Club programme

Bath & North East Somerset Council in the United Kingdom has installed smart LED carriageway lighting that automatically adjusts to light and traffic levels

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the American Public Gardens Association are mounting an educational exhibit at Longwood Gardens showing the link between temperature and planting zones

The energy-efficient Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers hotel is powered by renewable and sustainable sources, including integrated solar photovoltaics and guest-powered bicycles

El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands, plans to generate 80 per cent of its energy from renewable sources

The green roof on the Remarkables Primary School in New Zealand reduces stormwater runoff, provides insulation and doubles as an outdoor classroom

The Weather Info for All project aims to roll out up to five thousand automatic weather observation stations throughout Africa

SolSource turns its own waste heat into electricity or stores it in thermal fabrics, harnessing the sun's energy for cooking and electricity for low-income families

The Wave House uses vegetation for its architectural and environmental qualities, and especially in terms of thermal insulation

The Mbale compost-processing plant in Uganda produces cheaper fertilizer and reduces greenhouse gas emissions

At Casa Grande, Frito-Lay has reduced energy consumption by nearly a fifth since 2006 by, amongst other things, installing a heat recovery system to preheat cooking oil

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Updated: May 15th 2015