Climate Change 'Harms World Poor'

BBC

March 24, 2006

The poorest people in the world in Asia and Africa will be worst hit by climate change, a UK government report says. It says droughts and floods fuelled partly by carbon emissions from countries such as the UK will hurt the same people targeted by overseas aid.

The report was obtained by BBC News under the Freedom of Information Act.

It says emissions are making natural disasters worse and warns that rising sea levels could undo more than half the development work in Bangladesh.

The internal report at the Department for International Development reveals the depth of concern shared by officials about climate change.

Rising seas

It warns that the cost of rising greenhouse gas emissions will fall predominantly on the poorest people who will be unable to cope.

Global warming, it forecasts, threatens to reduce India's farm output by as much as a quarter.

And half of the $1bn (£0.58bn) in aid given by rich nations to Bangladesh is at risk as sea levels rise.

In Africa, it says the number of people at risk from coastal flooding could rise from one million to 70 million by 2080. It points out that natural disasters already cost donors $6bn annually, says BBC environment correspondent Roger Harrabin, and as 73% are climate-related, this bill is set to soar.

In a separate development, a study in the US journal Science suggests Earth could be headed for catastrophic increases in sea levels in the next few centuries.

If greenhouse gases continue to rise at present rates, it said, Greenland could be as warm by 2100 as it was 130,000 years ago, when melting ice raised sea levels by 3-4m.

Published: 2006/03/24 04:43:17 GMT

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