It is doubly tragic that the very countries most damaged by climate change are often also some of the poorest, and thus least able to cope with its terrifying effects. This has been, or should have been, clear for some time.
At successive climate conferences such as the Paris summit and the Cop series, island states threatened by rising sea levels and sub-Saharan nations suffering accelerating desertification, for example, have pleaded with the West and the emerging industrial economies to restrain greenhouse gas emissions and – of more immediate importance – help with measures to mitigate and defend against the effects of long-term alterations in weather systems. Now, research undertaken for The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project by ODI Global, a think tank, reveals the extent to which recent and continuing cuts in international aid programmes are leaving the world’s most vulnerable communities defenceless in the face of existential challenges.
