Planned Alliance may Help World's Poor to Tackle Effects of Climate Change

A planned partnership between the European Union (EU) and the developing countries will help millions of the world's poorest tackle the disastrous effects of climate change, the UN climate agency said Thursday.

"Climate change is a global issue, but the world's least developed and other poor countries are the most vulnerable to the possible effects of climate change," said Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the United Nation's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), South African news agency BuaNews reported.

A partnership with the EU, like the Global Climate Change Alliance, can indeed be a way forward, since its benefits will also be global, he told participants at the European Development Days event in Lisbon, Portugal.

Jarraud welcomed the initiative to establish a Global Climate Change Alliance between the EU and poor developing countries.

Projections show that least developed countries, along with small island developing states, will be the hardest hit by climate change.

"These countries have much fewer resources to prepare accordingly. If their populations are compelled to give up their livelihood due to sea level rises or if there is an acute famine of drinking water, for example, millions will be forced to migrate to other regions of the world, including Europe," Jarraud said.

The new initiative can help millions in the developing world to respond to the impacts of climate change, such as water shortages and migration.

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As part of its mandate, WMO is tasked with helping countries, particularly in the developing world, mitigate and adapt to climate change and prevent related extreme weather events from turning into natural disasters.

Source-IANS
VEN/C