Climate inaction 'costing lives'

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Failure to take urgent action to curb climate change is effectively violating the human rights of people in the poorest nations, an aid charity warns.

A report by Oxfam International says emissions, primarily from developed countries, are exacerbating flooding, droughts and extreme weather events.
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"Climate change was first seen as a scientific problem, then an economic one," explained report author Kate Raworth. "Now it is becoming a matter of international justice.

Rich country polluters have been fully aware of their culpability for many years
Kate Raworth,
Report author

The global impacts of climate change meant that nations had to be held accountable for the consequences of their actions, Ms Raworth said.
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"That is why we need a strong UN deal in 2009 to cut emissions and support adaption," she added, referring to next year's key UN climate summit where a future global climate strategy is expected to be agreed.
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It highlighted a number of "hot spots" where current climate policies were failing, including: rich nations' failure to cut emissions; funding for adaption initiatives being "woefully under-resourced"; and industrialised countries failing to help poor nations switch to low-carbon technologies.
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ey findings of the report included:

* 75-250 million people across Africa could face water shortages by 2020
* Crop yields could increase by 20% in East and Southeast Asia, but decrease by up to 30% in Central and South Asia
* Agriculture fed by rainfall could drop by 50% in some African countries by 2020
* 20-30% of all plant and animal species would be at increased risk of extinction if temperatures rose between 1.5-2.5C
* Glaciers and snow cover are expected to decline, reducing water availability in countries supplied by melt water
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7605927.stm