Rio de Janeiro — When the heat of summer comes to the Arara neighborhood in northern Rio, it lingers, burning off the red bricks and concrete that make up many of the buildings long after the sun sets. Luis Cassiano, who has lived here for more than 30 years, says he is concerned as heat waves become more frequent and ferocious.
In poor areas like Arara, those who can afford air conditioning – Casiano is one of them – cannot always rely on it due to frequent power outages due to overloading the system. Cassiano gets some relief from the green roof he installed about a decade ago, which can keep his house up to 15 degrees Celsius (about 27 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than his neighbor’s house, but he still struggles to stay comfortable.
“The sun in the summer these days is scary,” Cassiano said.
As world leaders Come to Brazil for climate talksPeople like Cassiano are most at risk. Poor communities are often more vulnerable Due to risks such as extreme heat and massive storms, they are less likely to have the resources to deal with them than wealthier places.
Any help from the climate talks depends on countries and not only Establish pledges and plans to reduce emissions. They must also find the political will to implement it, as well as find a solution Billions of dollars are required To adapt everything from crops to homes to better withstand human-caused climate change.
All of this is desperately needed for the 1.1 billion people around the world living in extreme poverty, according to the United Nations.
For this reason, many praised it Choose BelémIt is a relatively poor city to host these talks.
“I am delighted that we are going to a place like this, because this is where climate meets poverty, meets demand, meets financing needs, and meets the reality of the majority of this world’s population affected by climate change,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.
It is not only the poor in poor countries who suffer when poverty and climate change collide. A UNDP report found this Even in highly developed countries82% of people living in poverty will be exposed to at least one of four climate hazards: high temperature, drought, floods and air pollution.
People living in poverty are more vulnerable to climate change for several reasons, said Carter Brandon, a senior fellow at the World Resources Institute who works on the economics of climate change and financing for adaptation.
They may not have the money to leave areas such as flooded deltas, floodplains, hillsides prone to landslides, or farmland regularly burned by drought. Nor to rebuild after disaster strikes. These financial hits can be exacerbated by other problems such as health problems, lack of education, or lack of social mobility.
“It’s not just that climate destroys buildings or bridges or property. It destroys the livelihoods of families. And if you don’t have savings, it’s really devastating,” Brandon said.
Even relatively developed countries with more ways to adapt will see significant declines in some farm yields, according to a UNDP analysis of global agriculture under different warming scenarios.
Poor countries will be severely affected, said Heriberto Tapia, chief adviser for research and strategic partnerships at the UNDP’s Human Development Report Office.
Africa, with more than 500 million people living in poverty, is a major concern, Tapia said. Many depend on crop yields for their livelihood.
Asmahan El-Wafi, Executive Director of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, said that most of the world’s 550 million small-scale agricultural producers are located in low- or middle-income countries, operating in marginal environments and more vulnerable to climate risks.
Al-Wafi believes the technology can help alleviate climate pressure on many of these farmers, but he also noted that many cannot afford it. She’s not confident this year’s COP will provide enough money to help with that.
Brazilian officials believe that Belém, which is located on the edge of the Amazon River and is not a wealthy city, will serve as a powerful reminder to negotiators of the difficulty that climate change and rising extreme weather bring to millions of people every day.
“I heard there were a lot of negotiators who were complaining about being put on a bunk bed, or in terms of sharing a room, but that is the reality for most people around the world,” said Navkot Dabi, climate policy officer at Oxfam Global Development. “So I think that keeps things real.”
But some experts expressed doubts, although a recent UNDP report said the need for action was urgent.
“I wish they had said more about what quick action needs to be taken, because I don’t think the COP will result in quick action,” said Kimberly Marion Suisia, an associate professor at Duke University who studies how international policies affect people in rural and forested areas.
Pedro Conceicao, Director of the Human Development Report Office at the United Nations Development Programme, said that although the general narrative has long been that humanity is making overall progress in alleviating poverty, the numbers show that there is now “stagnation.” “The numbers are high and are not budging.”
On a note before COP30Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, called for a shift from prioritizing emissions reductions to focusing on reducing human suffering. Regarding climate change, he said: “There is no terrible story for rich countries.” “Where things get very difficult is in these poor countries.”
But Conceição said it was a mistake to think of poverty and climate reduction as a trade-off.
The idea that climate is only a future problem, “or about things like melting glaciers, needs to be completely done away with and replaced with the idea that the two agendas are actually the same thing,” he said.
___
Associated Press journalists Jennifer McDermott and Seth Bornstein contributed to this report.
___
Follow Melina Walling on XV @melinawalling And on Bluesky in @melinawalling.bsky.social.
___
AP’s climate and environment coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Search for access points Standards To work with charities, list of supporters and funded coverage areas on AP.org.