Plenary Session

Social Equity, Cohesion and Sustainable Adaptation

Wednesday, 29 April 2009

Session Abstract

How do we establish social cohesion while increasing equity at various levels? Finding creative ways to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of the chances,benefits, costs and risks associated with the social challenges of global change is pivotal. Some of the world’s societies are based on strong principles of equity, while others are based on economic competition or kinds of inequities. Such fundamental cultural bases for social cohesion are difficult to change. Yet current processes sharpen social contrasts within many societies, as well as between different parts of the world. This will inevitably lead to increasing social tensions in the long run. As the risk of environmental challenges increases, we must find ways to transition to more social sustainability, based on a reduction of inequity and concomitant tensions.

• What constitutes a fair allocation of shrinking resources and increased costs for adaptation, as an example?

• How do we achieve such allocation that without jeopardising current achievements?

To include equity and justice issues in the conceptualisation of both the challenges and solutions of sustainability implies using the knowledge amassed by social scientists about social and cultural diversity as well as about the material resources needed to support diverse human cultures and groups. In order to achieve this, we need to know how inequities emerge and why they persist.

• How do human prejudices work to the disadvantage of some in society, and how can they, for example, be manipulated at a symbolic level in political debate?
  

• How do humans construct narratives of justice and act upon them?

Session Chair

Martin Parry
Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London

Keynote Speakers

Wolfgang Schmitt
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), Germany

"Climate Change, Adaptation and Development: What is at Stake"

Robin Mearns
Social Development Department, World Bank, USA

"Equity and Climate Change

Walter Ammann
Chairman, International Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (IDRC), Davos, Switzerland

"10 Key Aspects in the Climate Change Debate from a Disaster Reduction Perspective."

Dessima Williams
Chair Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Grenada

"Equitable, adquate, appropriate policy responses to climate change"