Social Dimensions of Climate Change: Adaptation, Water, Energy and Green Employment: Policy Brief

Abstract

This Policy Brief arises from a workshop organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea (MOFAT). The event was one of the first of its kind to focus on the social dimensions of climate change regarding water, energy, and green employment and was particularly timely given that the upcoming Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will place greater emphasis on the socio-economic aspects of climate change. The workshop was designed to contribute to assessing how climate change will impact upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the likely achievement of MDG targets by the 2015 deadline. Particularly relevant here are targets 1.C, 7.A, 1.B, 7.C, and 3, dealing respectively with hunger, environmentally sustainable development, employment, access to safe drinking water, and gender equality and women’s empowerment. Climate change and sustainable development have to be integrated into international development goals.