The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report — aka “code red for humanity” — overflows with reasons for people everywhere to worry about the ever-hotter world we’re living in. But coastal and island communities are on the literal front lines of climate change — they’re already experiencing sea-level rise and ecosystem meltdowns that compromise their physical and economic health, and they need help now to avoid devastation.
The question is, what kind of help?
We can’t fix the problem. Even if we dramatically cut emissions over the next 10 years, a significant level of climate change is baked in. COP26 reflected that reality: Along with preventing further warming, one of its primary goals was to encourage adaptation to protect communities and natural habitats. We’re on our last best opportunity to do this, and we can’t fall back on traditional development approaches or assume a stable set of economic opportunities. If we want to build a resilient blue economy that uses ocean resources sustainably and promotes social and economic justice, we need to think differently.
Coastal communities must be pilots, not passengers, in the effort to chart a viable future. Industries, NGOs, impact investors and governments should help, but not via the typical route of trying to compensate for perceived community deficits. Instead, cross-sector collaborations should focus on fully valuing existing human, natural and cultural assets and employing them in line with social equity and circular economic principles.
Read more:
https://www.greenbiz.com/article/taking-climate-justice-seriously-blue-economy