Thursday, March 13, 2007
IMANI Center For Policy & Education Cordially Invites You To a Press Discussion on
The Civil Society Report on Climate Change
while global warming very likely is real and may well cause problems, the debate has become distorted by alarmists who claim that unless drastic and urgent action is taken, catastrophic climate change will decimate humanity. In response, some politicians and activists have called for dramatic reductions in emissions of these gasses. Realizing that such restrictions are not attractive to many poorer countries such as Ghana, the carrot of foreign aid is being offered and the threat of trade restrictions mooted. But are such policies the best way to address climate change?
This report, commissioned by a coalition of 41civil society organizations across the world, seeks to offer a balanced assessment of the problem of climate change and to evaluate various policies.
Among the findings in this report are:
· An increase in global mean temperature in the range of 1 to 4 ̊c would likely cause some changes to the geographical pattern of agriculture and forestry, but the costs of adaptation need not be substantial.
· If adaptation is not unduly restricted, production of food and other agricultural products, as well as forestry products, will keep pace with growing human demands.
· Human ecology and human behavior are the key determinants of the transmission of infectious disease. Obsessive emphasis on climate is unwarranted because, given suitable economic circumstances, straightforward strategies are available to ensure the public health.
· Average decadal mortality and mortality rates due to extreme weather events is far more strongly affected by the technologies deployed by humans – such as the construction of houses, roads and dams – than by climate.
· Many actors in the climate debate seek private benefit at public expense, a well – established economic phenomenon known as rent – seeking.
· The main UN agencies with a remit to address climate change, the IPCC and UNFCCC, are not impartial. The policies they advocate to address ‘dangerous climate change’ – dramatic short – to medium – term reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases – would be enormously costly and not very effective.
Please join IMANI’s Director of Development, Mr. Bright Simons for a wonderful discussion on whether fear mongering on climate Change will ever give room for innovative solutions?
Date: Monday, March 17, 2008 Time: 11:00am Venue: IMANI Headquarters, located on the First Floor, Bari House, Flat Top Junction, Off Achimota-Lapaz Road.
Please call Nat or Alidou on 0289 510 383 or email nat@imanighana.org for a seat.