Millions of children risk death unless poor counties get climate change cash

As many as 4.5 million children could die if world leaders fail to give developing countries extra funding to help fight the impact of climate change, an international aid agency has warned. Instead of funnelling off money from aid pledges already made for different issues, to meet new promises for climate change, wealthier counties will need to hand out new funding, a report by Oxfam says.

The call comes as world leaders prepare to join President Barrack Obama at his first United Nations address on climate change, at tomorrow’s Climate Summit in New York.That meeting will be followed on Thursday by the G20 Summit, where climate finance will be high on the agenda. Because only Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK are backing extra climate change funding, the fear is that December’s climate negotiations in Copenhagen could fail, unless action is taken now by Heads of State.

If aid is diverted to help poor countries tackle climate change, the report, Beyond Aid, warns that at least 75 million fewer children are likely to go to school and 8.6 million less people could have access to HIV/Aids treatment. It says an extra 50 billion a year is needed on top of to the 0.7 per cent of national income that rich countries have already promised as aid. Without this, recent progress towards the Millennium Development Goals could come unstuck and eventually fall into reverse.

The Millennium Development Goals set in 2000, aim to put more children through school and lower poverty and child mortality. Already, many poorer nations have come a long way towards achieving these aims. But many still are struggling. And diverting aid for climate adaptation would strain an already overstretched system, the report argues. “Funds must be increased - not diverted - to help poor countries adapt to climate change, and this cannot be seen as a two-for-one deal by politicians,” said Jeremy Hobbs, executive director of Oxfam International. “Rich countries must not steal money from poor hospitals and schools in order to pay their climate debt to the developing world. “World leaders must show they are not content to stand by and watch recent successes in combating poverty, such as children attending school, mothers surviving childbirth and the sick receiving life-saving drugs, reversed.”

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children