Bonn - CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis, the largest networks of Catholic development and relief agencies in the world, say UN climate change talks in Bonn will fail the poor unless they provide the tools to deal with the dire consequences of climate change. They call on governments negotiating a new global climate change agreement not to forget about adaptation in their efforts to strike a deal on technology.

In their joint report launched at the UN climate change negotiations taking place in Bonn this week, ‘Reducing Vulnerability, Enhancing Resilience: The importance of Adaptation Technologies for the Post-2012 Climate Agreement’, CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis highlight the need for urgent enhanced action on adaptation technologies, which are key for adapting to climate change, reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.

A substantial increase in investment and international cooperation on technology is one of the keys to reaching consensus amongst developed and developing nations on a new global agreement. Up until now, however, the negotiations have focused on high technologies for reducing emissions in developed and industrialising countries and technology for adaptation has received little attention.

‘The negotiations must ensure a coherent and coordinated approach to technology and adaptation under the new agreement, and dedicate the financing and institutional capacity necessary to support them’, said Sol Oyuela, policy expert from the CIDSE and Caritas networks. ‘The negotiating text which has come out contains some promising language which can be built on in this direction, but there still is a need for more focus on the adaptation technologies, vital for the future of those most exposed to the effects of climate change,’ she added.

Sustainable afforestation projects in the Satkhira district of Bangladesh demonstrate how communities in developing countries are successfully implementing adaptation technologies. These projects not only protect riverbanks from erosion in face of increasing floods, the fruit provides additional income for the local community and the trees contribute to mitigation by absorbing CO2.

‘Adaptation technologies refer to the selection of the trees and the way in which they are planted, but also to the knowledge and organisational capacity of the community to manage and maintain them. These kinds of technologies must be made available to all communities in developing countries that can benefit from them’, said Francis Atul Sarker Director of Development at Caritas Bangladesh.

Read the report here or its executive summary here

Contact:

Cliona Sharkey, sharkey@cidse.org, +32 (0) 2 233 37 51

Roeland Scholtalbers, scholtalbers@cidse.org, +32 (0) 2 230 70 82
In Bonn (1-3 and 7-10 June): +32 (0)4 78962013

Floriana Polito, fpolito@caritas-internationalis.com, +41786143783


Notes to the editors:

• CIDSE is an international alliance of Catholic development agencies. Its members share a common strategy in their efforts to eradicate poverty and establish global justice. CIDSE’s advocacy work covers global governance, resources for development, climate change, trade & food security, EU development policy and business & human rights. (www.cidse.org).

• Caritas Internationalis is the biggest network of Catholic charities in the world. It works through its 162 national members to combat poverty and injustice. (www.caritas.org)

• UNFCCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: national government delegations meet in Bonn in an important intersessional meeting to discuss the negotiating text for the December climate talks in Copenhagen where the negotiating parties will seek to agree on a post-2012 climate agreement, which will replace the current Kyoto protocol.