Climate proofing the Greater Mekong

Anticipating the storm

WWF is shifting from a focus on conserving ‘what was’ to anticipating and managing change in an increasingly climate constrained world.

Greater variability of rainfall, rising sea levels, staggering rates of coastal inundation... these are just a few of the impacts expected from climate change in the Greater Mekong. These impacts, among others, will profoundly affect the region’s globally important biodiversity and ecosystems, which will in turn negatively impact its people and the current substantial economic investments.

Measures must be put in place to ensure the ecological products and services upon which the socio-economic development of this region depends are not degraded or irreversibly lost.

Therefore, WWF’s major concern is to devise ways to make the Greater Mekong region more resilient to climate change: planning so that natural ecosystems can cope with the change.

Some examples of these actions are, maintaining the vegetation that offers coastlines and river banks natural protection from floods and storms, being strategic about protected areas to allow species to move across the landscape, being smart and holistic during infrastructure development, re-thinking agricultural practices and crops in many regions, and using spatial planning tools to think carefully about land use.

Possible solution...

Asia’s first climate change adaptation agreement

Nations of the Greater Mekong region can adopt Asia’s first regional climate change adaptation agreement. Regional coordination and collaboration would improve the chances of successful adaptation to climate change because:

1. The ecosystem services at stake have a trans-boundary nature. The Mekong River, marine resources, the forests and species within them all cross borders.
2. Large challenges require large solutions, which are beyond the capacity of any nation in isolation. Protecting the river, ensuring food security, and coping with migration are all tasks demanding regional cooperation.
3. It would provide a framework and platform

• To help avoid unintended negative consequences of individual responses to climate change.
• To stimulate additional funding by strengthening investor confidence in regional commitment to adaptation planning & REDD
• For national governments to negotiate joint solutions for displaced peoples
• For regional standards and certification that promote environmental best practice
• To promote integrated planning and coordinated investment

This agreement should:

• Emphasize ecosystem-based adaptation approaches that maintain the resilience of the region
• Strengthen existing governance structures and ensure participation of all stakeholders in preparing for climate change
• Act now to use existing knowledge to address climate change
• Include mitigation in adaptation strategies
• Ensure adequate resources are available for adaptation initiatives

Such an agreement, could establish common targets for development and conservation to support the development aspirations of neighbouring countries.

How would it work?

The agreement would:

• incorporate climate change adaptation into current development plans
• guarantee equitable trans-boundary management of high conservation value areas
• provide a solid basis for long term funding mechanisms
• define and implement regional standards for sustainable development
• provide a platform for regional environmental compensation schemes
• ensure that development is based on agreed regional land-use plans.

It is hoped that, by 2011, government will be in consensus about the need for a binding agreement and a legally binding climate change adaptation agreement.

Alternative energy healthier for environment and communities

Although developing countries are not the main polluter nor have they been the main cause of climate change, their contribution to atmospheric carbon will increase as these nations industrialize and develop.

We have witnessed how China has become the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases in just a few years of industrialization. If we are to minimize climate change, we must not repeat the same mistakes that the first-world countries made in the past.

It is possible for a country to develop prosperously with green low-carbon economies. Energy production is the first step towards achieving this. Switching from coal to cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy, such as solar, wind, biomass, and sustainable, small scale hydropower will allow countries to meet their increased requirements without contributing to global warming. These resources are plenty in the region, but have yet to be explored.

Using renewable resources to generate energy can help reduce the impacts of climate change, while allowing nations to reach their development goals, and at the same time help increase income to communities, create jobs and enhance the quality of lives of the people.

Responding to a warming world

Even with the best case scenario, that all countries in the Mekong region are using cleaner and sustainable sources of energy, people will still have to live in a warming world.

Therefore addressing and identifying impacts of climate change, especially those that are closely related to the way people are living, will help in understanding the issue and lead to adaptation to impacts of climate change.

Alternative energy solutions could also help protect the Mekong River

What can we do now?

If we wait 10 years, 20 years or even longer to do something about climate change and global warming, the problem will be greater and more difficult to address-and the consequences of our inaction will be worse.

Reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases

The governments of Cambodia, Laos Thailand and Vietnam can:

• Encourage the use of renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar power) rather then continuing with coal fired power plants
• Eliminate subsidies that encourage the use of coal and oil by making them artificially cheap
• Protect and restore forests, which serve as important storehouses of carbon.
• Improve and maintain public transport and encourage bicycle riding where feasible and safe.
• The people of the Greater Mekong can:
• Use more efficient sources of electricity
• Avoid driving when public transport is an option
• Drive more fuel efficient and less polluting motorbikes and cars
• Use energy efficient appliances
• Promote and implement more sustainable farming practices to preserve and maintain valuable forest reserves.

The businesses of Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam can increase efficiency and save money by doing the same things as above but on a larger scale. And utilities can avoid building expensive new power plants by encouraging and helping customers to adopt efficiency measures.

There are solutions to global warming available to us today, and it is time we put them to use. These solutions will reduce the amount of heat trapping gases that we emit into the atmosphere.