ABSTRACT
At the state for the 21st Century, we too are confronted with the fi erce urgency of a crisis that links today and tomorrow. The crisis is climate change. It is still a preventable crisis but only just. (UNDP 2007, 1)
Severe impacts of climate change have already been felt in various parts of the world and it is anticipated that climate change will cause great stress on both the environment and society. There is an increasing awareness that climate change will severely impact or undo international development efforts, such as the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (UNDP 2007; UNICEF 2008; UNICEF UK 2008). MDGs as agreed at the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit aim at achieving the following by 2015: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger (Goal 1); achieving universal primary education (Goal 2); promoting gender equality and empowering women (Goal 3); reducing child mortality (Goal 4); improving maternal health (Goal 5); combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases (Goal 6); ensuring environmental sustainability (Goal 7); developing a global partnership for development (Goal 8) (UN 2006). For instance, UNICEF UK (2008) has examined MDGs with particular reference to children’s survival, health, and education around the world. Climate change’s adverse impacts on agricultural productivity, which contributes a large part of GDP in most developing countries, would lead to
further poverty and hunger in such countries thereby undermining Goal 1. When malnutrition is already a signifi cant cause of infant and child mortality, declining food productivity and water stress will also impact on the survival and health of children thereby putting the achievement of Goal 4 into reverse. Malaria, a cause of death for 800,000 children every year, will expand to previously less affected or nonaffected areas and would cause epidemics. Not only children, but also pregnant women will particularly be at high risk of malaria infection (so reversing the realization of Goals 4, 5, and 6). Climate change will make it more diffi cult for children to attend schools, especially for girls, who will be under more pressure than boys to support their families’ survival needs. Subsequently, achieving universal primary education (Goal 2) and promoting gender equality and empowering women (Goal 3) become more diffi cult as the climate change scenario unfolds. It is also important to highlight that the impacts of climate change will not be evenly experienced. The economically poorer countries, children in the world, places, and population sectors that have done relatively little to trigger climate change would be hit by global warming “fi rst and worst” (UNICEF UK 2008, 35).
