CLIMATE

CHANGE AND Karim M. Morsy,

Ph.D., P.E.

SUSTAINABILITY
Lecture outline
What do adaptation to climate change and climate resilience mean?

Adaptation Solutions and Approaches To Climate Change Adaptation

Adaptation In Water, Agriculture and Coastal areas

What are the differences between adaptation and loss and damage?
What is sustainability?
◦ Sustainability means meeting our own
needs without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own
needs. In addition to natural resources, we
also need social and economic resources.

◦ Sustainability is not just environmental-

ism. Embedded in most definitions of
sustainability we also find concerns for
social equity and economic development.
Where does the term come from?
While the concept of sustainability is a relatively new idea, the movement as a whole has roots
in social justice, conservationism, internationalism and other past movements with rich histories.
By the end of the twentieth centuries, many of these ideas had come together in the call for
‘sustainable development.’
Three pillars of sustainability
Sustainability pillars
Environmental Sustainability
Ecological integrity is maintained, all of earth’s environmental
systems are kept in balance while natural resources within
them are consumed by humans at a rate where they are able
to replenish themselves.
Economic Sustainability
Human communities across the globe are able to maintain
their independence and have access to the resources that they
require, financial and other, to meet their needs. Economic
systems are intact and activities are available to everyone,
such as secure sources of livelihood.
Social Sustainability
Universal human rights and basic necessities are attainable by
all people, who have access to enough resources in order to
keep their families and communities healthy and secure.
Healthy communities have just leaders who ensure personal,
labour and cultural rights are respected and all people are
protected from discrimination.
What is Sustainable Development?
“Development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs”
the globally accepted definition adopted in 1987 at the
World Commission on Environment and Development

In other words, Sustainable Development is the criteria for achieving social

and economic progress in ways that will not exhaust the earth’s finite
resources and not exploit or impoverish one grouping of people for the
enrichment of another.
What are the 2030 Sustainable
Development Goals?
On September 25, 2015, after three years of debate and negotiations,
all 193 member-nations of the UN, including the United States, voted
unanimously to adopt these global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s),
stating:

“On behalf of the peoples we serve, we have adopted a historic decision on a

comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centered set of universal and
transformative goals and targets. We commit ourselves to working tirelessly for
the full implementation of this agenda by 2030.”

Declaration of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable Development

Who wrote the 2030 Agenda and the
17 Goals?
Representatives from all 193 member nations
of the UN and hundreds of Non-Government
Organizations (NGOs) and civil society
groups representing indigenous people,
small farmers, working people, environmental
movement people, scientists, social workers,
minorities, women’s groups and other
stakeholders over a three year period of time.
 SDGs & the dimensions of SD

Institutional
Dimension Social
solidarity

Environmental Economic
responsibility efficiency

9
2 – Monitoring the 2030 agenda
Eurostat
Climate Change Is a Challenge For Sustainable Development

Climate change is the most significant

challenge to achieving sustainable
development, and it threatens to drag
millions of people into grinding poverty.
At the same time, we have never had better
know-how and solutions available to avert the
crisis and create opportunities for a better life
for people all over the world.
Climate change is not just a long-term issue. It
is happening today, and it entails
uncertainties for policy makers trying to
shape the future.
Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, world leaders paved the way for a more sustainable society worldwide
by adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Agenda
includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight
inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030:
End poverty in all its
forms everywhere
• 1 in 7 people in the US currently live at or
below the US poverty line and nearly half
of Americans will experience at least a
year of poverty or near-poverty during
their working years.
• Over 149 million Americans are currently
living in poverty or on the brink.
End hunger, achieve food
security and improved nutrition
and promote sustainable
agriculture
• Nearly 50 million people in the US, or 1 in 6,
suffer from hunger and lack of adequate
nutrition, one third of them children.
• The number of senior citizens facing food
insecurity has gone up every year over the
last decade
• Many communities do not have a sustainable,
adequate supply of local, wholesome food at
affordable prices.
Ensure healthy lives and promote
well-being for all at all ages
• Fear of hospital and doctor bills one cannot
afford to pay, is turning minor medical matters
into life-threatening emergencies.
• 2/3 of US personal bankruptcies are cause by
medical debt.
• The US now has the 3rd worst rate of infant
mortality among the top 30 industrialized
countries.
• For the first time in decades the average life
expectancy of Americans went down in 2016.
Ensure inclusive and equitable,
quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities
• 6.4 million young people in the US
between the ages 16-24 are neither in
work nor in school – they are
disconnected from society.
• 14% of US adults are illiterate. 23% read
at 5th grade or lower level. Just 11% of
men and 12% of women are proficient
readers.
Achieve gender equality and
empower all women and girls
• The United States ranks 74th in wage
equality among 145 countries. Women
earn two-thirds of what men make for
similar work.
• The United States and Papua New Guinea
are the only two nations in the world that
do not ensure paid time off for new moms
according to the International Labor
Organization (ILO.) Only 12% of American
companies offer paid maternity leave.
Ensure availability and
sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all
• 99% of water fixtures in Portland Oregon Public Schools
tested positive for lead: Flint is not the only city with
this problem.
• In 2014 30,000 households in Detroit were shut-off
from water and sewage service because they could not
afford to pay the high rates.
• Household water shut-offs in Philadelphia, San Diego
and other cities are growing.
• Lack of access to clean water affects more than 40% of
people around the world. If how water is managed
does not change, by the year 2050 at least 1 in 4
people will be affected be recurring water shortage.
Ensure access to affordable,
reliable sustainable and modern
energy for all
• In 2015, the state of Illinois shut off the
electricity to 85,000 households during
the winter due to their inability to pay
the high rates.
• In upstate New York, 144,000 people
were shut-off from electricity because of
inability to pay the increased rates.
Promote sustained, inclusive and
sustainable economic growth, full
and productive employment and
decent work for all
• Only 62.7% of adults in the US are working,
the lowest rate since the late 1970s.
• Over 16 million people live on jobs that pay
less than $8 an hour.
• After the 2008 depression, 95% of all wealth
that was lost by the people of the US was
gained by the top 1%, and 66% of the jobs
created since then are low-paid, part-time and
temporary.
Reduce inequality within
and among countries
• 22 individuals in the US have more
combined wealth than the bottom
50% of the population.
• There are 8 individuals in the world
that own more than the bottom 50%
of the world’s population – 6 of them
are Americans.
Make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable

• New York City, like many large cities

in the US, has an affordable housing
crisis for working people.
• Currently 1 in every 147 New
Yorkers is homeless.
Ensure sustainable consumption and
production patterns
• Americans constitute 5% of the world’s population
but consume 24% of the world’s energy – more than
China and Russia combined.
• 40% of the US food supply is wasted and ends up in
land fills, or is left to rot in the fields because market
prices fell, making the food unaffordable to produce.
• A US citizen produces more than 1,650 lbs. of
household garbage a year; and a city-dweller in India
produces 220 lbs.
Take urgent action to combat
climate change and its impacts
• Economic instability and conflict cause
people to migrate. So does climate
change – increased flooding, droughts,
sea rise will all create an estimated 250
million climate refugees in coming
decades.
• An increase of just 3 in the earth’s
temperature will mean extinction for
30% of all living species.
Conserve and sustainably use the
oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development
• 70% of the oxygen we breathe comes from marine
plants in the oceans, which are dying due to
warming and acidification of the oceans.
• Industrial fishing practices have overexploited a
quarter of fish stocks and half have already been
exploited to the maximum.
• 3 billion people rely on fish for their animal
protein.
• At the current rate of plastic use and disposal, by
the year 2050 the amount of plastic in the oceans
will outweigh the fish pound for pound.
Protect, restore and promote sustainable
use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification,
and halt and reverse land degradation and
halt biodiversity loss
• As a result of soil erosion over the last 40
years, 30% of the world’s arable land has
become unproductive.
• The US loses more than 70,000 acres of
wetlands every year due to urban
expansion, pollution, livestock grazing,
and construction.
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies
for sustainable development, provide
access to justice for all and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at all
levels
• In New York City, 94-97% of those charged with a crime end
up plea bargaining for a crime they did not commit because
they can’t afford legal representation to fight their case.
• There are currently over 7 million Americans in the correctional
system (prison, jail, parole, probation) — a 790% increase since
the 1980s and the highest percentage in the world.
• The United States has the largest population of children in
prison: on any given day, 10,000 youth are housed in adult
prisons and jails.
Strengthen the means of
implementation and revitalize the
global partnership for Sustainable
Development
• In this interdependent world, cooperation with other
nations on global agreements is imperative. The US
can start by carrying out these 17 Goals in the US
and fully honoring international agreements such as
the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and meet its
Official Development Aid (ODA) commitments.
• The US currently spends close to $600 billion, half
the nation’s budget, on the military. This is roughly
the size of the next 7 largest military budgets around
the world combined.
Thank you
Resource efficiency

sustainable development means improving resource efficiency, an

aspect of several Sustainable Development Goals. Resource efficiency
is strongly linked with climate action, as more efficient use of resources
can mitigate climate change.
Resource efficiency can be achieved through activities with the following aims:
•making consumption & production in all areas of society/the economy more resource-
efficient;
•avoiding waste; improving waste management; increasing re-use, repair or recycling; using
waste from some production processes as a resource in others, in all sectors including food,
construction/demolition, processing industries & raw materials;
•ensuring the provision of clean water in sufficient quantities; promoting efficient &
economical water supply & use; helping reduce water shortages, droughts & floods;
•improving air quality & reducing air pollution (including particulate matter, ground-level
ozone, nitrogen dioxide); tackling the effects of air pollution;
•protecting the soil or improving soil protection; reducing soil-sealing; tackling or helping to
prevent erosion, landslides, soil contamination, salinisation & desertification;
Resource efficiency

•ensuring that all operators along the value chain manage fishery & marine resources more
sustainably, including in the fields of mineral extraction, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology &
energy; contributing to good environmental status in marine waters;
•increasing sustainable chemistry/'green' chemistry; replacing dangerous chemicals by safer,
more technologically & economically viable alternatives;
•producing food in a more resource-efficient way, so that food/drink value chains have less
environmental impact (e.g. using water & fertilisers more economically);
•managing forests more sustainably;
•protecting and/or restoring ecosystems or biodiversity;
•reducing noise pollution;
•improving energy efficiency & cutting greenhouse gas emissions (see 'climate action' above);
•addressing behavioural patterns, societal acceptance & barriers to uptake of policies or
technologies; raising awareness of resource efficiency issues, including through education &
training.
Integrating Climate Action And Sustainable Development Objectives In Research And Innovation

Why is it important to take climate action and sustainable development into

account?
If you explicitly mention climate action and/or sustainable development in your project
proposal, or if the project you are proposing includes them in some other way, the experts
examining your proposal will evaluate these aspects of the proposal in addition to the aspects
of the proposal which address the topic description.
For many types of action the proposal template asks applicants to mention any other
substantial impacts, including any that would 'address issues related to climate change or the
environment, or bring other important benefits for society'. In other words, your proposal
must clearly describe any contribution you expect your project to make towards climate
action and sustainable development objectives, beyond those mentioned explicitly in the topic
description. The experts examining your proposal will assess these aspects along with any
other relevant ones.
Integrating Climate Action And Sustainable Development Objectives In Research And Innovation

How can you integrate climate action and sustainable development in your
proposal?
1.Using the guidance above, determine how relevant climate action and/or sustainable
development objectives are to your research and innovation proposal. Mention any relevant
aspects clearly in your proposal.
2.Where relevant, say what impact the research or innovation can be expected to have on
climate objectives and/or on one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals. The impact
may be immediate or longer-term.
3.Refer to existing evidence or indicators to substantiate your statements.
Climate Indicators and Sustainable Development

The report is accompanied by a story map. It highlights seven climate indicators whose impacts span the SDGs:
•Carbon dioxide concentration
•Temperature
•Ocean acidification
•Ocean heat content
•Sea-ice extent
•Glacier mass balance
•Sea-level rise.