Cast adrift: how the rich are leaving the poor to sink in a warming world

This report examines the comprehensive scale of adaptations required in response to the challenges of global warming. The report highlights issues of responsibility by industrialised countries, who, as claimed in the report, are overwhelmingly responsible for creating the global climate change situation.The reports notes that against the $0.41 billion additional funds allocated to help poor countries adapt to climate change, developed countries are making billions available to protect themselves against climate change. As an example of such, the report sites the large amount of money invested by the French government in light of the 2003 summer heat wave.Given rich countries' historical responsibility for global warming and the resources at their disposal, the author advocates that funds made available for climate adaptation should be raised substantially.The author argues that the international community needs to take into account the globally agreed Millennium Development Goals for poverty reduction, which have their own costs attached - costs far higher than the level of current aid programmes. Excluding health and sanitation, achieving the MDGs calls for an extra $50 billion per year, some of which needs to be channelled into climate change adaptation, the author argues.The report notes that the additional global costs of adapting to climate change is unknown at present. The author calls for an initial assessment of the global cost of climate change adaptation, based on the best available predictions.