UK heads research on climate change, and the poor.

The UK has pledged to increase research regarding how climate change worldwide, will impact the world’s poor, and the possibilities of global warming causing increased poverty, and worldwide conflict.

Douglas Alexander said in a statement that, his department (International development) is slated to invest £20 million every year, for a period of five years. This represents an increase of 1000% on previous spending, on this research.

The aim is to try to estimate which areas of the world, will be most adversely affected by global warming, and to investigate the effects of rising oceans, and increases in extreme weather.

He stated that: “Climate change is a defining global social justice issue,”
The WMO, World Meteorological Organisation says, that changes in weather patterns have brought heatwaves and severe drought; from southern Europe, to Australia, to Kenya, they also said that, in the first seven years of this century, six of them were the hottest since records began, 160 years ago.

It is presumed that the world’s poorer countries will be the hardest hit, because of their lack of resources, and funding, to deal with severe weather, and calamities, such as crop failures.
Wealthier countries’ will need to help these poorer nations, as concerns rise that global warming may cause even more serious conflicts, as countries, and regions, may start to fight for resources, such as water, and arable land.

Douglas Alexander also said “By the middle of this century there could be as many as 200 million people forced from their homes because of rising sea levels, heavier floods and more intense droughts. Where will they go?” And that: “If today’s image of climate change is the polar bear tomorrows could be the AK47.”

This additional funding, that was announced on Wednesday, is a separate issue from 800 million pounds, that the UK pledged last year for support in developing countries, in their fight against global warming.