ABSTRACT
The impact of climate change will vary considerably from place to place. People do not fully understand the mechanisms that translate the carbon-intensive character of development patterns into higher temperatures. The climate change challenge is fraught with risk and uncertainty and a complex research and evaluation agenda lies ahead. While climate skeptics are wrong on the science they are correct in stressing the dangers associated with a single-minded focus on global warming. Stabilizing emissions while sustaining economic growth is a core development challenge. But little can be done to reverse the effects of past emissions. While rich countries will be in a position to generate the resources needed to adapt to climate change, in the low latitudes the damages will be high and poor countries will be hard pressed to adapt to higher temperatures. First and foremost, eradicating hunger is central to the vision of a world free of poverty. About 850 million people go to bed hungry every night.
