The water crisis in the Greater Himalayas constitutes an enormous challenge for the region and a growing, if still under-reported, concern in the West. Elements of the crisis include floods and droughts, unpredictable changes in the timing of water flows, hydropower rivalries and persistently unsafe drinking water. Population growth, urbanisation, and consumption and dietary changes are key drivers of the growing demand for irrigation, hydropower and industrial water use.

Moving towards low-carbon, high-efficiency energy systems, mitigating climate change, securing energy supplies, and resolving the imbalance of payments caused by energy imports, are impending problems that nations worldwide are striving hard to resolve.

This paper argues that prioritising low-carbon technologies today will yield benefits tomorrow in the form of an industrial economy much more ready to compete in a carbon-constrained future. It will add rather than depreciate value for the country. It argues that despite an Indian, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chairing the lead global body – the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); in India, climate change is virtually a leadership-free zone. The impacts of climate change will be felt not just in years, but over generations.

Climate change is already having negative consequences on the health of humankind, especially in developing countries. As this will only increase with time, international discourse on the issue needs to become more effective at integrating the health consequences in climate change mitigation. This briefing delves into the facts and conclusions of climate change and health for industrial and developing countries, and calls on them to take action.The study finds that:

Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly vulnerable to global challenges such as food insecurity, climate change, rural poverty, malnutrition and environmental protection. This puts pressure on the fragile food production system. The term ‘Sustainable Intensification’ – ‘producing more outputs with more efficient use of all inputs on a durable basis, while reducing environmental damage and building resilience, natural capital and the flow of environmental services’ – has become synonymous with big, industrial agriculture.

The pursuit of a development path primarily driven by abundant, cheap fossil fuels is coming up against diminishing reserves, rising prices and global warming. Managing the growing tensions resulting from this situation requires increased cooperation on the part of industrialised countries, emerging economies and poor countries, with each country haveing different responsibilities, and different financial and technological capacities.