CLIMATE CHANGE and SOCIAL JUSTICE: UNDP China shouts loud for economic equity and justice

Source: Principal Voices by Dr Kishan Khoday, UNDP China

"There is an increasing spirit of global environmental citizenship, a desire to address climate change as a matter of common concern for all humanity."
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says, "One generation plants a tree; the next generation gets the shade." As noted by the U.N. Secretary General, climate change has become the "defining issue of our era." The great challenge of our generation is to plant the seeds for future innovation in global society; innovations that can align our current needs for energy to fuel global growth with the needs of future generations to live in a healthy environment. This is more than an academic debate. Countries like China and India have made significant progress toward the Millennium Development Goals and have greatly reduced poverty. But climate change now poses risks to sustaining these hard won development gains.
My work focuses on the most vulnerable of humanity, those who rely heavily on land and water for their daily existence and are expected to feel the brunt of climate change. The British economist and academic Nicholas Stern has called the climate crisis the greatest market failure in human history. For me, it may also become the greatest social injustice. Rural communities across the world rely heavily on the natural environment for their livelihood, while lacking capacity to adapt to these drastic changes.
I work with local partners in developing countries to find ways to increase energy efficiency and use of renewable energy technologies, while also exploring ways communities can climate-proof themselves to future climate risks. I have found that one of the most effective ways to reduce such risks is to increase the efficiency of energy end-users in big cities through practical solutions such as energy-efficient lighting, solar-powered homes and hybrid vehicles. Individually they may not make a major contribution, but when you add up the energy and emission savings the overall net benefit is massive, especially when such initiatives are scaled up in large emerging economies, such as China and India. Start small, think big.
I see great hope in the new generation, the consumers of the future. There is an increasing spirit of global environmental citizenship, a desire to address climate change as a matter of common concern for all humanity and we see this more and more not only in developed but also in developing countries. By engaging this new consciousness we not only stimulate a new green market, but also reduce the threats that rising emissions pose to rural communities.
Another prospect I see is in the social responsibility of industry. Business chiefs are showing leadership in the climate challenge, and these leaders are no longer just based in the developed world. My expectation is that the success stories we are beginning to see in the private sector in places like China and India will become a driver of global growth and a new Green Revolution.
Balancing humans and nature. Balancing urban-industrial growth and the needs of rural people for a stable environment. Balancing developing countries' right to development and the needs of future generations to live in a healthy environment. These are the great challenges of our time. What we need are integrated solutions that match new opportunities in technology and knowledge in the market with a growing sense of global environmental citizenship in society--a new Green Revolution to address both the economic opportunities and the social inequities of climate change.
Dr. Kishan Khoday is the team leader for energy and environment at the United Nations Development Programme in China. Dr. Khoday leads efforts to find local energy solutions to reduce emissions and address the serious implications of climate change on poor and vulnerable communities.