As Climate Negotiators Meet in Bonn, El Niño Shows Dire Need for Adaptation Funds
With 2016 on track to be the hottest year ever and a super-charged El Niño putting over 60 million lives at the mercy of unpredictable climate shocks, it's more urgent than ever to help communities adapt to climate change, said Oxfam at the start of the United Nation's climate conference in Bonn, Germany.
People living in poverty are the most vulnerable to severe droughts, crop losses, famines, floods, and disease linked to climate change. Small-scale farmers across the world are already dealing with these effects, but are being left on their own. In a new report, "Unfinished Business," Oxfam describes how the Paris agreement does not guarantee that poor countries will receive the financial support they need to afford expensive climate adaptation measures, such as flood defenses and drought-resistant crops.
The cost for developing countries to adapt to climate change could go as high as $500 billion a year by 2050, according to a report released this week by the UN.
Matthias Zepper