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light of the degree of uncertainty about the
pace and consequences of global warming,
this approach would almost certainly lead to
a lot of funding choices that look bad in
hindsight.
development aid the core work of agencies
like the World Bank and the Asian Develop-
ment Bank. And in some ways, the presump-
tion makes sense: some of the demands of ad-
aptation in particular, the very tangible need
for protective infrastructure like sea walls are
different. But most adaptation is not com-
pletely distinct from development; indeed, it
may be quite similar.
Convention on Climate Change. These pro-
grams contain lists of what each country sees
as its highest priorities for adaptation invest-
ments. I reviewed about two dozen of them,
and found that at least three-fifths of the re-
quested priority funding was for projects that
are ostensibly for climate change adaptation,
but are in fact for basic economic develop-
ment. That is, these projects would be consid-
ered worthy investments even if the climate
opment, one has to wonder why adaptation is
being financed from a separate pot of money.
By the same token, one must wonder whether
mainstream development aid is currently
supporting projects that are at cross-pur-
poses with adaptation by, for example,
encouraging overuse of aquifers in
tion in areas vulnerable to sea-level rise. Per-
haps it would make economic sense if not
always political sense to integrate climate
change into mainstream development efforts.
tance has actually resulted in raising the stan-
dard of living in developing countries is a
controversial matter. Moreover, even if adap-
tation projects are well designed and executed,
will the most vulnerable countries have polit-
ical and legal institutions adequate to the task
of maintaining them over the long haul? How
will donors ensure that funds are delivered to
those who need them when they need them
and not siphoned off for other (perhaps less
altruistic) purposes?
tered. It mentions a "Copenhagen Green Cli-
mate Fund," but does not assign authority to
a specific agency. Hopefully, whichever agency
or agencies inherit the task will be up to the
task of incorporating climate change into
development.
tries offer no excuse for ducking the issue.
fort and a tolerance for error as adaptation
projects get up to speed those challenges
could become unmanageable. There could be
widespread suffering from drought, storms
and inundation of coastal areas. And what
happens in developing countries could indi-
rectly affect the developed world by increas-
ing political instability and driving mass mi-
gration. In the final analysis, there is a moral