Interview: "Action, not negotiation"

Klaus Töpfer demands a »Green New Deal« of coordinated measures tackling both the economic and climate crises.

Please read the whole Interview in the Welthungerhilfe newspaper "Welternährung" December 2009.

In the last two years Kenya suffered from
recurrent droughts.Professor Dr Klaus Töpfer has been Vice-President of Welthungerhilfe since 2008. As Executive Director
of the United Nations Environment Programme from 1998 to 2006, he built an outstanding international  reputation. From 1987 to 1994, the CDU (Christian Democrats) politician was the Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, then Federal Minister for Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development. He is also the founding director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), founded in 2009.

Welthungerhilfe: In December, a follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol is set to be concluded at the UN Climate Change Conference. Will it work?

Klaus Töpfer: What we have to ask ourselves is if a follow-up agreement is the best thing that can be done at this moment in time. It took us 13 years to have Kyoto ratified. We don’t have that kind of time anymore. What we need isn’t more negotiation, what we need is action. Taken together, only 20 countries are responsible for around 80 percent of worldwide CO2 emissions. We need a clear reduction programme, particularly for those countries who account for the largest quantities of pollution. That’s where arrangements have to be made.

KlausTöpfer, Vice-President
of WelthungerhilfeWelthungerhilfe: Could the introduction of new, environmentally friendly technologies be a potential way of improving the situation in developing countries?

Klaus Töpfer: More and more environmentally- friendly technologies are being developed - for instance in the area of renewable energy - which are also available to developing countries. But it is not just about
providing technological assistance. What is needed is the financial means. In order to be able to adapt to climate change, additional finance to the tune of billions must be provided.

Welthungerhilfe: What should be done with this additional finance?

Klaus Töpfer: Infrastructure must be expanded and safeguarded to prevent extreme weather conditions from leading to catastrophes such as in the Philippines. To be more precise, this means that housing structures must be developed accordingly. When they are built, much closer attention must be paid to ensuring that all new buildings are securely constructed. Agriculture must also adjust to the changed conditions. In addition, dykes must be built on large rivers or coasts, and must be maintained. We must strive to change our energy supply structure - away from fossil energy sources, towards renewable, non-carbon energies. This must all be financed through additional funding.

Welthungerhilfe: In what ways must agricultural production adjust to the changed conditions?

Klaus Töpfer: All our efforts must be focused on agriculture. Soil use is key to determining how much carbon dioxide, CO2 that is, can be absorbed by the soil. Scientific research has shown which measures are particularly suited to the capture of large quantities of carbon. The most important of these is forestry. Yet clearances and even fire clearances are still taking place, with the associated consequences. Of the negative effects against the climate, at least 20 percent are triggered by unsustainable forest management - that we now know. With a view to Copenhagen, I believe that everyone is in agreement that specific programmes programmes must be financed to minimise or completely halt deforestation.


Welthungerhilfe: What demands does climate change place on an organisation such as Welthungerhilfe?

Klaus Töpfer: Firstly, the duty of Welthungerhilfe is always to help where hunger prevails, where people are starving, where they have no more hope. It’s a case of achieving the kind of structural change which will reduce the prospect of hunger. In precise terms, that means investing in water projects in places where we can provide for dry periods. This is what we are currently doing in Kenya, for example.

Welthungerhilfe: What is being done in Kenya?

Klaus Töpfer: Welthungerhilfe is driving a systematic rain water collection programme so that water falling in large quantities in tropical rainfall can be saved for later dry periods. If we are not only to provide short-term help in overcoming famine but also to contribute in the medium to long term to  transforming help into self-help, such structural measures are urgently needed. We are extremely grateful to all those who have donated what little they can to the cause.

Welthungerhilfe: The world is still in the grip of the financial and economic crisis. Do we actually have the capacity, either economically or politically, to tackle the issue of climate change? Why mustn’t we turn a blind eye?

Klaus Töpfer: We have no other alternative. Deal with the financial and economic crisis first, then come to the climate crisis: that’s wrong. The right thing to do is to deal with the climate crisis by dealing with the economic crisis at the same time. We must work on both crises with the same set of tools. This is certainly possible - it’s what can also be called a »Green New Deal«. Economic structures must be altered so as to be politically and economically viable, so that they create jobs and at the same time relieve the burden on the environment.The Interview has been done by Patricia Summa, employee at Welthungerhilfe in Bonn.