Sustainable development,
environmental protection
and climate change
Climate change could impede nations’ abilities to On the other side, mitigation of climate change can
achieve sustainable development pathways. It is “very create synergies and avoid conflicts with other dimen-
likely” that climate change can slow the pace of progress sions of sustainable development. For example, im-
toward sustainable development either directly through proving energy efficiency and developing renewable
increased exposure to adverse impacts or indirectly energies can improve energy security and reduce lo-
through erosion of the capacity to adapt. Over the next cal pollution. Reducing deforestation will benefit bio-
half-century, climate change could hamper the reali- diversity, and afforestation can restore degraded land,
zation of the Millennium Development Goals. Climate manage water runoff and benefit rural economies, if it
change will interact at all scales with other trends in does not compete with food production.
global environmental and natural resource problems,
including water, soil and air pollution, health hazards, Similarly, sustainable development practices can
disaster risk, and deforestation. Their combined im- enhance both the ability to adapt to and to mitigate
pacts may be compounded in future unless there are climate change as well as reduce vulnerability to cli-
integrated mitigation and adaptation measures. mate change.
54 Planet in Peril
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60