Publication: Climate Change: What Challenges for the Global South?

OVERVIEW 

A book that highlights the vulnerability of environments and populations in the Global South to climate change. Certain regions of the intertropical zone are severely affected by its impacts, whether it be heat waves in the Sahel, disruptions to monsoon systems, the melting of Andean glaciers, threats to biodiversity, or rising sea levels…

To better understand the complexity of these phenomena, research conducted by the IRD and its partners provides essential insights. This book offers a concise overview organized into three parts: observing and understanding climate change, analyzing its main impacts across different environments, and placing societies and national public policies at the heart of the climate challenge.

By emphasizing the resilience of populations and ecosystems in the face of climate change, the book explores solutions that balance climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental preservation, and the reduction of inequalities. Accessible to a broad audience, it takes stock of the work and results of resolutely committed, interdisciplinary research that closely involves partners from the Global South and North.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction. Climate Change: Multiple Challenges  

Part 1

Observing and Understanding Climate Change

1 - Learning from Past Tropical Climates

2 - How is current climate change manifesting itself?

3 - Observatories for detecting climate anomalies

4 - Understanding the climate system through climate models

5 - “Attributing” observed climate variations

6 - Future projections: scenarios and uncertainties

7 - Greenhouse gas emissions  

Part 2

The Impacts of Climate Change in the Global South

8 - Oceans: Marine ecosystems facing global warming

9 - Coastal and island areas: regions under pressure

10 - Semi-arid regions: the Sahel, vulnerable to rainfall fluctuations

11 - High-altitude regions: the rapid transformation of Andean environments

12 - Tropical Forests and Major Rivers: Environments Under Influence

13 - Urban Areas: Vulnerable Megacities  

Part 3

Societies Facing the Climate Challenge

14 - Climate Change and International Negotiations

15 - Climate Change: What Are the Health Challenges in the Global South?

16 - Agricultural Development in the Face of Climate Change

17 - Revisiting Local Knowledge

18 - Adaptation and Resilience of Populations in the Global South

Outlook: Scientific Research and Climate Policies

FEATURES