My friend Jason at Cicer et cetera published an entry a few days ago about a UNDP study that was conducted to evaluate where Armenia was heading on its current course of not adapting to the realities of climate change/global warming.
Jason pointed out some very interesting information that is contained in the report.
The study points out that climate change will have far-reaching effects on social and economic life, and the ability for people to adapt will depend on whether or not funding will be available to support adaptive policy measures and how quickly these policies can be implemented. “Armenia’s future economic development will depend on the decisions that the current generation makes about investments in adaptation [to climate change],” warns the report.
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On an optimistic note, the experts from the Stockholm Environment Institutepoint out that many of the best available climate adaptation policy measures can be important for Armenia’s economic development. These include improving water and power generation infrastructure, integrating climate adaptation in plans for economic development and energy production, planning for more efficient use of resources in the context of growth and higher rates of consumption, and considering the needs and vulnerabilities of rural and low income households.
“Unless quick action is taken on large-scale adaptation measures, it is unlikely that Armenian families, their livelihoods, or their economy will be unscathed by climate change. Armenia’s poor and especially its rural poor populations will be particularly vulnerable,” warn the authors. “Social impacts will include an increased incidence of illness from heat waves as temperatures rise, a shortage of water and an increase to electricity tariffs as competing needs collide, food shortages or increased food prices as agricultural productivity falters, and an increased incidence of dangerous and damaging landslides, mudflows, and floods as dry soil and deforestation coincide with extreme storms.”
I’m hoping Armenia’s Ministry of Nature Protection, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Transport and Communication and even the Ministry of Emergency Situations closely examines this study. Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian seems to be a very capable, smart guy, so hopefully he will make sure the government does whatever necessary to curb the potentially devastating effects that global warming could have on Armenia. It may mean that some of their personal business interests will suffer, but that should be irrelevant when it comes to protecting Armenia’s ecological future. Let’s hope they all do the right thing.
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