Poor countries to be worst hit by climate change
Legal World
[##_1L|1216340618.jpg|width="120" height="100" alt=""|_##]Poor countries will be the worst hit by climate change, top experts from the United Nations on global warming said. "Poor people are the most vulnerable and will be the worst hit by the impacts of climate change. This becomes a global responsibility," Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told reporters when presenting a report on the impacts of global warming.
The report, which was adopted after a five-day set of discussions between scientific experts and government delegates from more than 120 countries, broke down its findings into regions for the first time.
Africa, a continent mainly composed of less developed countries, will be the hardest hit by the adverse effects of global warming, according to the report.
"New studies confirm that Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate variability and change because of multiple stresses and low adaptive capacity," experts said in a 21-page summary of the whole report for policy makers.
By 2020, between 75 and 250 million people in Africa are projected to be exposed to an increase in water shortages, the report said.
As a result of climate change, the area suitable for agriculture, the length of growing seasons and yield potential are expected to decrease, which will further adversely affect food production in the continent as it was already suffering from malnutrition.
In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent by 2020, the report warned.
The poverty-inflicted continent may also have to spend at least five to ten percent of their gross domestic products to cover the cost of adaptation to climate change, the report said.
Related listings
-
China blasts latest US human rights report
Legal World 04/08/2007Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang blasted a new human rights report released by the US Department of State as being inconsistent with "basic facts" Saturday, characterizing it as unsubstantiated and slanderous to the human rights conditi...
-
UN chief urges immediate action on climate change
Legal World 04/07/2007UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on governments on Friday to take immediate action following the release of a UN report on impacts of climate change. The secretary-general welcomed the release of the findings of Working Group II of the Intergo...
-
Capt., 5 officers charged in Greek cruise ship accident
Legal World 04/07/2007[##_1L|1363888797.jpg|width="150" height="111" alt=""|_##]A Greek prosecutor has pressed negligence charges against the captain and five officers of a cruise ship that sank off an Aegean Sea island, state NET TV reports. The six officers were charged...
New Rochelle, New York Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP, in New Rochelle, New York, immediately. We can answer all your questions and work with you to determine if you have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. The attorneys at our firm are determined to resolve even the most difficult of cases. We will work closely with you to determine the best course of action to get your claim or case resolved in the most efficient way possible. We will fight for your right to compensation! No one should have to suffer a financial burden from the result of another person’s carelessness. The attorneys at Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP will aggressively fight to ensure that justice is served on your behalf.