Overview: Least Developed Countries Fund(LDCF)

 
 
 
Rice farmer Pierre-Louis Elusmé, 64, at his home in Brocozele village in Haiti. (Photo: Brett Eloff / Oxfam America)

Rice farmer Pierre-Louis Elusmé, 64, at his home in Brocozele village in Haiti. (Photo: Brett Eloff / Oxfam America)

What is the least Developed Countries Fund?

At the annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference in 2001, the countries of the world agreed to establish the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) to help the poorest and most vulnerable countries to better cope with natural disasters and make their societies more resilient. 

The LDCF investments support projects that reduce the vulnerability of people to extreme weather events, and strengthen institutional capacity to respond and be more resilient, particularly within sectors that are central to development and livelihoods (e.g., water, agriculture and food security, health, disaster risk management and prevention, infrastructure, and fragile ecosystems).[1]

Many co-benefits come from LDCF investments, including improving food and water security, conserving biodiversity, and diversifying livelihoods - all of which increase the resilience of local communities on the frontlines of climate change . However, less than half the financing pledged to the LDCF by developed countries has actually been provided. This has left the LDCF with a pipeline of approved but long-unfunded projects.

S.2132/H.2833 directs funds to the LDCF because of its unique role in addressing the acute need of our most vulnerable communities. The United States is currently its third highest funder [1]. As a leader among states with international vision and home to global citizens, Massachusetts is uniquely positioned to pioneer a state-sourced companion to the LDCF. Largely unprecedented, the integration of state and international affairs will serve as a powerful indication of public support and an example to other states.

Who are the Least Developed Countries?

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are the 46 poorest nations in the world, with the majority in Africa and Asia. Home to more than 1 billion people, these countries are especially vulnerable to climate change [2]. Not only are these countries located in areas vulnerable to sea level rise and prone to increasingly more extreme and frequent natural disasters (e.g., droughts, floods, hurricanes), but they also have the least resources to confront these disasters.

These countries are also least responsible for contributing to the climate crisis. The heavy use of fossil fuels by the world’s wealthiest countries, particularly the U.S. as the largest historical polluter, is directly worsening the impacts of climate instability. In fact, a recent study by Oxfam found that the richest 1% of the world’s population are responsible for more than twice as much carbon pollution as the 3.1 billion people who made up the poorest half of humanity [3]. We have a moral obligation to help these countries adapt and prepare for the impacts of climate change.

LDCs are already suffering the consequences of climate change on human health, poverty, food security, and natural disasters, despite contributing only a small fraction of the global emissions that created this problem. In Massachusetts, carbon dioxide emissions have reduced in recent years, but residents have contributed to global accumulation of greenhouse gases. Support for the poorest nations in coping with the devastating impacts of climate change should be part of Massachusetts’ broader efforts to cope with climate impacts at home and reduce our own carbon footprint.

Medhin Reda and her daughter in the village of Adi Ha, Ethiopia. Medhin is a participant in the R4 weather insurance program. (Photo: Coco McCabe / Oxfam)

Medhin Reda and her daughter in the village of Adi Ha, Ethiopia. Medhin is a participant in the R4 weather insurance program. (Photo: Coco McCabe / Oxfam)

Korile temporary settlement, Donod Woreda, Somali Region, Ethiopia. A devastating drought is causing the worst food crisis to hit Ethiopia in 30 years putting millions of people at risk of hunger and disease. (Photo: Tina Hillier / Oxfam)

Korile temporary settlement, Donod Woreda, Somali Region, Ethiopia. A devastating drought is causing the worst food crisis to hit Ethiopia in 30 years putting millions of people at risk of hunger and disease. (Photo: Tina Hillier / Oxfam)

How vulnerable are the LDCs to climate impacts? 

From Barbuda to Bangladesh, we see that it is the poor who bear the brunt of the devastation caused by climate change. These impacts will only become more acute without significant investment to mitigate further climate change and to adapt with more resilient planning. 

Climate change has already devastated millions of lives in LDCs as a result of food shortages, public health crises, and increasingly intense natural disasters. For example, in March 2019, Cyclone Idai took the lives of more than 1,000 people across Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique in Southern Africa and left millions more without food or basic services [4]. And in East Africa, severe droughts in 2011, 2017 and 2019 have left 15 million people in need of aid, facing acute food and water shortages and being displaced from their homes [4]. As the frequency and intensity of these disasters are expected to soar in the near future, LDC’s will continue to bear the heaviest burden of climate fatalities.

The threat to human life is extraordinary. If emissions remain unchanged, climate change could result in an estimated 1.5 million deaths per year by the end of the century, many of which will likely be in LDCs [5]. According to the International Panel on Climate Change, which consists of thousands of the world’s top scientists, up to an additional 183 million people could be at risk of hunger as a result of climate change.[6] Additionally, a recent study by Earth’s Future found that the number of people exposed to water stress could double by 2050 [7]. This means an additional 380 million people could face water stress by mid-century.

The World Bank reports that climate change could result in up to 132 million additional people living in poverty by 2030 as a result of the natural disasters, food insecurity, water scarcity, and health impacts of the shifting climate [8]. Displacement, death, loss of livelihood, disease, and the interruption of economic development are all consequences of a warmer, more intense, and less predictable climate. LDCs are the least equipped to adapt to these changes, and yet they are subject to the worst of them. Outside support will be crucial in determining whether these dystopian scenarios come to pass or are avoided.