The document discusses climate change impacts and goals for sustainable development in South Asia. It notes that: 1) South Asia is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts like rising temperatures and more extreme weather. This threatens livelihoods, food security, and development progress in the region. 2) Both the Sustainable Development Goals and climate negotiations aim to promote climate-resilient development. However, more coordination is needed between these processes to prioritize climate action and channel financing to mitigation and adaptation. 3) South Asian countries want climate and development goals to include nationally-relevant targets and indicators, along with mechanisms for accountability and implementation support from both domestic and international resources.

1. Climate Action Network South Asia
(CANSA)
February 23, 2014
Ram Kishan

2.  IPCC AR5 - 0.85 deg C warming between 1850 - 2012
 Available budget for limiting temperature increase below 2 deg
with 66% probability is 3760 GtCO2, of which 1890 has been used
by 2011.
 Assuming emission stabilize at 2010 levels, the available budget
will be consumed within 40 years.
 Limiting the increase to below 2 deg implies peaking of global
emissions between 2015 - 2020 and sharp decline thereafter.
 The remaining carbon budget is smaller if we want to ensure
higher probability of limiting the increase in temperature to below
2 deg C.
 Estimated global reductions by 2030 under strong 2 deg path is
about 26% below 1990.
 Based on Green Development Rights approach, the range of
reduction for developing countries is 23% to 40 % (returning to
2015 emission level) below BAU emissions in 2030.

3.  Countries fall in lower middle income (Bhutan, India,
Pakistan, and Srilanka), LDCs (Bangladesh and Nepal) and
lower income group (Afghanistan, Myanmar).(lower middle
income country - per GDP less than USD 4000; low income
country - per capita income below USD 1000)
 Region accounts for 1.7 billion population, of which about
1.25 is in India.
 South Asia is the poorest region in the world.
 51% of the world’s poor live in South Asia (compared to
29% in Sub-Saharan Africa), as per Multi-dimensional
Poverty Index (MPI).
 The HDI index of South Asia is 0.558 - low human
development and medium human development group.
 HDI index of south Asia is just above that for sub-Saharan
Africa.

4.  Outcomes of the Rio+20 Conference
 To build upon the Millennium Development
Goals and converge with the post 2015
development agenda
 To establish an "inclusive and transparent
intergovernmental process open to all
stakeholders, with a view to developing global
sustainable development goals to be agreed by
the General Assembly".

5.  End poverty in all its forms everywhere
 End hunger, achieve food security and
improved nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture
 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being
for all at all ages
 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all
 Achieve gender equality and empower all
women and girls
 Ensure availability and sustainable
management of water and sanitation for all
 Ensure access to affordable, reliable,
sustainable and modern energy for all
 Promote sustained, inclusive and
sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work
for all
 Build resilient infrastructure, promote
inclusive and sustainable industrialization
and foster innovation
 Reduce inequality within and among
countries
 Make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
 Ensure sustainable consumption and
production patterns
 Take urgent action to combat climate
change and its impacts
 Conserve and sustainably use the
oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development
 Protect, restore and promote sustainable
use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification,
and halt and reverse land degradation
and halt biodiversity loss
 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies
for sustainable development, provide
access to justice for all and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at
all levels
 Strengthen the means of implementation
and revitalize the global partnership for
sustainable development

6.  Addressing climate change is a pre-requisite to ending
poverty and achieving sustainable development
 The IPCC has hammered it time and time again, that
climate change disproportionately affects the poorest
and that action cannot wait another minute
 Climate change is the greatest threat to development
 Hard to credibly justify the SDGs in September 2015
without climate change goals while academia, civil
society and even the private sector
 SDGs cover areas like energy, agriculture, water,
forests, oceans, cities and economic growth, they can,
and will, massively contribute to both mitigation and
adaptation action

7.  Tackling climate change is recognised as critical to the
achievement of the development goals.
 Climate change should be a stand-alone goal, as well as be
mainstreamed throughout the other goals.
 Climate change goals, targets and indicators should be
nationally relevant and should also aim to build local-level
resilience and reduce climate risks.
 Getting the indicators and measurement frameworks right is
crucial, while accountability and governance mechanisms will
underpin implementation.
 International resources will still be very necessary for
achieving climate compatible development goals, but the role
of national and sub-national governments, and the private
sector, will increase.
 Within regions, countries should form a common voice to
influence SDG negotiations; within countries, civil society must
play a stronger advocacy role

8.  Climate Change (CC) may reduce poor people’s livelihood assets,
for example health, access to water, homes and infrastructure.
 Climate change is likely to directly impact children and pregnant
women because they are particularly susceptible to vector- and
water-borne diseases
 increased heat-related mortality and illness associated with
heatwaves (which may be balanced by less winter-cold-related
deaths in some countries);
 Declining quantity and quality of drinking water, which worsens
malnutrition, since it is a prerequisite for good health;
 Reduced natural resource productivity and threatened food
security
 Climate change may alter the quality and productivity of natural
resources and ecosystems
 Loss of livelihood assets (natural, health, financial and physical
capital) may reduce opportunities for full time education in
numerous ways.
 Global climate change is a global issue, and responses require
global co-operation, especially to help developing countries adapt
to the adverse impacts of climate change.

9.  Realization that development can happen
without adverse environment impact
 Development which is climate sensitive
including infrastructure
 South Asia till need to develop thus need to
make sure doesn’t follow same old western
development
 Conscious of cost for development on
environment
 Climate resilient development at all levels

10.  Evident there is convergence to both the
processes
 Different people into two processes
 Need coordination at national and
international level
 Working in isolation is counter productive
 SDGs has climate change specific goal, hence
although more important to coordinate
 Finally financing for both the processes?

11.  Country level specific asks on the SDGs and
UNFCC process
 Roadmap for implementation and convergence
for common good
 Compliance and accountability
 Resource allocation domestic or international?
 Role of global process at national level

12. End!