Bangladesh was hit by massive floods while rich countries remain reluctant to pay for climate change adaptation.
 | A Bangladeshi woman rows a raft looking for drinking water in flooded Dhaka in September 2007 (Photo: Reuters) |
According to Bangladesh's Red Crescent Society, the final death toll of November’s Cyclone Sidr could exceed 10,000 people, the vast majority of the victims desperately poor and vulnerable.
A number of scientists predict that a warming planet and rising sea levels will contribute to more severe flooding. Poor nations like Bangladesh, without the means to adapt, will suffer most.
Oxfam International has calculated that rich countries have paid less into a UN fund to help the world’s poorest countries adapt to climate change (67 million U.S. dollars), less than what Americans spend on suntan lotion each month.
Speaking to Western donor representatives, Bangladesh’s environment and agriculture adviser, C. S. Karim, urged the international community to take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Climate change will inundate parts of Bangladesh, make millions homeless, and increase food deficit in the country," he said.
editor: James Tulloch
publishing date: January 3, 2008
