As the conference came to a close, and minimal solutions were decided upon, the world remains in limbo regarding the next steps to mitigating climate change. Developed countries such as the US and high-emitters such as China have come out with a inadequate sort of agreement, but the developing nations that will soon be feeling the radiating effects of climate change have not been aided in the least, as far as I can tell. As I mentioned in a previous post, a potential solution to mitigating some of the negative externalities of climate change and maintaining a sustainable rate of population growth would be the introduction of family planning resources in developing nations. In a recent op-ed for Minnesota Public Radio written by Sarah Stoesz, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and fellow attendee of COP 15, more light is shed on the importance of reproductive rights and population maintenance as a tool to lessen the blow of climate change is discussed more in depth.
Most strikingly, Stoesz cites facts from a study conducted by the London School of Economics regarding the impact of family planning on climate change. The statistics don’t lie; family planning indeed can inexpensively decrease greenhouse gas emissions. The emission of one ton of carbon dioxide equivalent can be prevented by spending only $7 on family planning. When comparing this sum to the amount of money that many governments and non-profits have been contributing to other carbon-reducing technologies it becomes clear that family planning is a simple solution that has the potential to decrease millions of tons of GHG emissions for a very low cost.
Unfortunately, this solution is still not an option in many countries where the concept of using contraceptives is unacceptable and women are not given the chance or choice to limit the number of children they have. It becomes clear that the underlying cause to why the world has not accepted family planning as a real solution to climate change is gender inequality. This issue, of course, is a whole different ball game, but emphasizes the inherent connection between gender, poverty and climate change. Climate change can very easily be proven to be a phenomenon that has the potential to aggravate inequitable global conditions, especially the plight of poor women in impoverished nations. Poverty and gender inequality must therefore be addressed before real climate change mitigation and adaptation can take place on a global scale.
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