The burdens must be shared equally

Interview with Robert Grassmann, Welthungerhilfe climate expert

Sea-level rise threatens the life of many people
not only in the global South. © Reuters /
Carlos BarriaWelthungerhilfe: Everbody's talking about climate change.  How is our planet doing?

Robert Grassmann: The reports of the world climate council leave no doubt: the climate is changing. We humans are the cause. Various scenarios predict global warming of between 1.4°C and 4°C by the year 2100. However, dangerous consequences are to be expected if there is warming of more than 2°C above the pre-industrial level.

Now we already see increasing food insecurity, more frequent storm and flood disasters, and also water shortages. Added to which, there are a rising number of environmental refugees. In future we will have to set aside considerable financial resources to ensure people’s mere survival, and also for reconstruction measures following disasters. These resources will then not be available for important development projects elsewhere.  

Robert Grassmann,
Welthungerhilfe climate
expert. Welthungerhilfe: Which countries are affected? Who is mainly causing this?

Robert Grassmann: The developing countries have hardly contributed anything to global warming, because they produce little greenhouse gas. But they are particularly severely affected by the consequences of global warming. It is above all in these countries that extreme weather events and long-term shifts of climatic zones are increasing.  Advances in development that have already been made are being wrecked.

The most significant causers of climate change are the northern industrial countries, and increasingly the emerging industrial countries, with their high greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to at least 900 million heavy consumers in the North, there are now more than 800 million 'new consumers' in the developing and emerging nations.  For the most part, they live in large cities, use air-conditioning in their homes and office blocks, and drive cars that emit lots of exhaust gases. Virtually 80% of all raw materials used are consumed in cities, which are almost entirely dependent on the burning of fossil fuels. This means that cities are one of the main causes of climate change.


Welthungerhilfe: What is the role of the aid organisations?

Robert Grassmann: Aid organisations concentrate their practical work above all on rural areas in developing countries. Here, people are particularly vulnerable to changes in the climate that have either already occurred, or that can no longer be stopped. Whether it's natural disasters, or even long-term disasters such as persistent droughts which have to be countered with even more intensively adapted methods of agriculture. 
 
At the same time, aid organisations have the task of pushing for a reduction of greenhouse gases through political action in the industrial countries, and of speaking out for a fair sharing of the burdens. 

Welthungerhilfe: What is Welthungerhilfe doing?

Robert Grassmann: Welthungerhilfe is supporting local agencies in being proactive and in participating themselves in our projects. In doing so, we are able to make use of our many years' experience of working in the rural development, resource management and disaster prevention fields. But new approaches are also very important.

In Kenya for example, we are operating a new type of system for storing rainwater on rocks. Furthermore, in many projects we are investing in energy-saving technologies. Welthungerhilfe is also campaigning for a dramatic reduction in emissions and the promotion of climate-friendly ideas for agriculture. We are calling upon politicians and businesses to provide sufficient financial resources, and to ensure that this money also actually reaches the poor and vulnerable groups in society.

Robert Grassmann was interviewed by the journalist Constanze Bandowski .