carbon slums

As global pressure increases for countries to reduce carbon emissions, there will be those who step up to the plate, and others who drag their carbon-heavy feet. The UK's Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, is promoting a climate change bill that could make the country the first to legalise carbon emissions reduction targets. No doubt others will soon follow suit, chanelling pressure down the political chain for provinces, districts and cities to set their own targets in support of national goals.

And what of those who resist? Will they become the carbon slums of the future? British Conservative MP Tim Yeo, chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, is worried about poor planning that could result in regions that emit excessive amounts of carbon. Which makes me wonder if this could result in under-development in those areas: penalised by national governments and international agencies that need to meet targets, under-performing regions could suffer lower levels of investment, resulting in their showing symptoms of decline. It's all very well to say that municipalities will use the promise of funding as a motivator to develop low-carbon projects, but if the institutional capability isn't in place, it ain't gonna happen. (Something like South Africa's headlong rush to spend vast sums on projects tied to the 2010 FIFA World Cup - many of which won't make the deadline simply because of inadequate government resources to manage the projects. Two separate articles in today's Cape Times mention delivery problems faced in the housing and transport sectors, both of which are blessed with political commitment to get things done, but cursed with institutional challenges.)

The US has for years tied federal infrastructure funding to local air quality standards, forcing municipalities to clean up by directing funds to projects that contribute to cleaner air. Carbon just takes the concept to a new level. Hopefully, there will be mechanisms to root out the under-performing regions and economic sectors, and reduce their carbon output. Perhaps government threats to withold funding - a favourite tactic - combined with private companies needing to find low-carbon investment opportunities, will be enough to ensure overall compliance with national carbon emission caps.