“The purpose of this paper, that focuses on the gaps between poverty reduction and climate mitigation, is fourfold: The first
task is to remind us why, even under conditions of extreme poverty, climate mitigation cannot be ignored or overlooked. Second, it is useful to rehearse the reasons why to date climate adaptation has tended to dominate climate mitigation in the articulation of anti-poverty strategies. Third, it is possible to explain the tardiness in taking up climate mitigation within the poverty agenda by demonstrating that the fundamental methodological and
conceptual apparatus, that has dominated
poverty thinking over the period of climate change mobilisation, has not translated readily into mitigation action. It is implied in this analysis that for mitigation to become a more central feature of anti-poverty thinking there will need to be some theoretical adjustment in how poverty is
understood; not simply the realignment of
climate science to give mitigation greater
profile. Moreover, cities will need to become a more prominent object of climate scientists’, poverty specialists’ and policy makers’ attention. Taken together the arguments of the first three parts of the paper suggest that the failure to adequately link climate mitigation and poverty to date, while understandable intellectually and politically, has undermined the impact and effectiveness of both strategies.”
