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Poverty
reduction and environmental management are inextricably linked.
A new DFID publication, Poverty and Environment, explains these
links and offers some suggestions for action.
"In
the year 2000, 508 million people lived in 31 water-stressed
or water-scarce countries. By 2025, 3 billion people will
be living in 48 such countries." The
environment is crucially important to poor people. It is connected
to most, if not all, the priorities of the poor - such as
jobs and other livelihood opportunities, good health, reduced
vulnerability and access to resources such as land, water
and energy. Yet poor management of the environment is causing
increased hardship.
"Scientists
predict that yields of rice, wheat and maize in the tropics
could fall by 30% over the next fifty years as a result of
climate change". It
is not all bad news though, this publication looks at how
the priorities of the poor are connected to environmental
management and outlines a number of actions which are being
taken at local, national and international level.
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