The impacts of climate change are being felt all around the world and as they become more damaging and widespread, it is the 2.7 billion people in the world who live on less than $2 a day who will be hit first and hardest. The carbon emissions fuelling the lifestyles of people in the North are causing changes in the patterns of the seasons. Rainfall, flooding, and drought are threatening to make the gap between rich and poor in the world wider, and the UN Millennium Development Goals unattainable. Lament is not good enough – we must take action.
Based on analysis of the evidence for climate change and the vulnerability of poor people, Just One Planet develops a framework for action and makes clear the link between consumer and political choices in the North, and impacts in the South on the most vulnerable people on the planet. Just One Planet is essential reading for anyone who wants to get behind the scare stories to reach a well-informed and detailed understanding of climate change, and to find out what action needs to be taken, now.
Just One Planet also provides an indispensable reference for NGOs, government policy advisors, researchers, students, and specialists in the areas of Development, Climate, and Environmental Studies.
D. Mark Smith has a Masters in Climatology and PhD in Ecology. He was leader of the 'Livelihoods & Environment' research group at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems in Australia from 2001-2004 and was employed as a researcher by Practical Action to write this report. Mark is currently Water Management Adviser at IUCN.