World Vision considers climate change to be a critical issue that must be addressed across all of our development and advocacy work. From addressing the causes through to assisting those suffering the effects, World Vision is addressing climate change-exacerbated poverty in many ways.
Many of our existing programs, such as One Earth and the emergency relief we are providing for the Global Food Crisis, incorporate measures and actions to address the effects of climate change.
These initiatives are guided by research World Vision compiled and published in a Policy Paper at the end of 2007. This document identifies a number of positions that World Vision has taken on the matter of climate change, and the steps the orgnisation will take to combat the issue.
The following is an extract outlining World Vision's approach to this global issue.
As a matter of policy, World Vision:
- acknowledges and accepts the clear and present danger of human-induced climate change;
- determines to ensure that our Australian operations achieve zero net carbon-dioxide emissions by 2017;
- determines to increase environment-enhancing development activities such as reforestation, agro-forestry, and organic and conservation farming in World Vision’s programs;
- determines to work to increase communities’ resilience to the effects of climate change, e.g. disaster preparedness planning, and improving food and water security measures in World Vision’s programs;
- determines to increase its efforts to educate governments, the public and private sectors, donors and the World Vision partnership in their understandings of climate change and its effects on people living in poverty;
- calls for Australia to support strong, binding emissions reduction targets;
- calls for a reduction of at least 40% in Australia’s net greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2020, followed by further reductions of at least 75% by 2050, by means of the most economically efficient, socially equitable, and environmentally responsible means available;
- calls for significant increases in public research funds directed towards climate change dynamics, renewable energy technologies, carbon capture and sequestration, energy efficiency, crop varieties, range management options, sustainable nomadic practices and other adaptation and mitigation options that will reduce the vulnerability of poor communities to climate change;
- calls for significant increases in aid directed towards helping developing countries to improve energy efficiency, to adopt renewable energy technologies and to adapt to climate change; and
- calls for a commitment by the Australian government to work in partnership with the Pacific states and territories for the resettlement of Pacific Islanders.
You can download this policy in full from our
Policy & Reports section.
This was originally published on the 28th of April 2010.