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24/10/2005
Climate change could affect Africa Aid, expert warns
Extra aid for Africa, agreed at the summer’s G8 meeting, could be cancelled because of the cost of tackling climate change, a leading scientist has warned.
Lord May, President of the Royal Society, said that the $50 billion of aid agreed at the Gleneagles summit could be “entirely consumed” by the cost of dealing with climate change.
In an open letter, published ahead of a G8 meeting on climate change in November, Lord May urged G8 ministers to recognise the impact of such incidents as increasing drought conditions in Ethiopia and severe hurricanes in the US and agree further action to combat greenhouse gas emissions.
Lord May called for the G8 to back an international study into the level at which greenhouse gases should be stabilised in order to avoid climate change. He suggested that the action plan agreed at the Gleneagles summit in July “fell far short” of a strategy to stop the rise in greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.
Lord May’s letter stated: “As long as greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise, there is the very real prospect that the increase in aid agreed at Gleneagles will be entirely consumed by the mounting cost of dealing with the added burden of adverse effects of climate change in Africa.
“In effect, the Gleneagles communiqué gave hope to Africa with one hand, through a promise of more aid, but took that hope away with the other hand through its failure to address adequately the threat of climate change.
“Therefore, if the increase in aid and other measures outlined in the Gleneagles action plan on Africa are to create maximum benefit, they must be accompanied by effective action on climate change by stopping the inexorable rise of greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.”
G8 energy and environment ministers are due to meet for a key climate change meeting in London on November 1. It is the first meeting to be held since the Gleneagles summit and will be addressed by both Prime Minister Tony Blair and Paul Wolfowitz, head of the World Bank.
(KMcA/SP)
Lord May, President of the Royal Society, said that the $50 billion of aid agreed at the Gleneagles summit could be “entirely consumed” by the cost of dealing with climate change.
In an open letter, published ahead of a G8 meeting on climate change in November, Lord May urged G8 ministers to recognise the impact of such incidents as increasing drought conditions in Ethiopia and severe hurricanes in the US and agree further action to combat greenhouse gas emissions.
Lord May called for the G8 to back an international study into the level at which greenhouse gases should be stabilised in order to avoid climate change. He suggested that the action plan agreed at the Gleneagles summit in July “fell far short” of a strategy to stop the rise in greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.
Lord May’s letter stated: “As long as greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise, there is the very real prospect that the increase in aid agreed at Gleneagles will be entirely consumed by the mounting cost of dealing with the added burden of adverse effects of climate change in Africa.
“In effect, the Gleneagles communiqué gave hope to Africa with one hand, through a promise of more aid, but took that hope away with the other hand through its failure to address adequately the threat of climate change.
“Therefore, if the increase in aid and other measures outlined in the Gleneagles action plan on Africa are to create maximum benefit, they must be accompanied by effective action on climate change by stopping the inexorable rise of greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.”
G8 energy and environment ministers are due to meet for a key climate change meeting in London on November 1. It is the first meeting to be held since the Gleneagles summit and will be addressed by both Prime Minister Tony Blair and Paul Wolfowitz, head of the World Bank.
(KMcA/SP)
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