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Warming impacts Indian food supply

The freak floods in Mumbai last year that marooned the city for days can be attributed to global warming and climate change.

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LONDON: The freak floods in Mumbai last year that marooned the city for days can be attributed to global warming and climate change. A UK government report has put the blame for such natural disasters at the door of rich countries like Britain, Europe and USA thanks to their high levels of carbon emissions.
 
It has gone a step further and said the developing countries are worst affected by climate change because they do not have the ability to deal with natural disasters.
 
The internal report at the Department for International Development reveals the depth of concern shared by officials about climate change. “DFID takes the issue of climate change very seriously. Developing countries are right to be concerned about the negative impacts of climate change as they will suffer most,” a spokesman told DNA.
 
The report warns that the cost of rising greenhouse gas emissions will fall predominantly on the poorest people. Global warming, it forecasts, threatens to reduce India’s farm output by as much as a quarter. “Climate change will increase the frequency of natural disasters. Long-term changes will lead to water scarcity, food insecurity and increased risk of malaria and major displacements of people and economic activity,” continued the DFID spokesman .
 
The report further says that rising sea levels could undo more than half the development work in places like Bangladesh. Half of the $1bn in aid given by rich nations to Bangladesh is at risk as sea levels rise according to the DFID.
 
DFID has also begun work on assessing climate risks. They have asked the World Bank to get these measures in place by 2008.
 
UK MP proposes $20bn fund
 
After the Budget earlier in the week Hillary Benn, MP and Secretary of State for International Development urged the developed countries to take responsibility for the effects of their emissions. “The developed world has a responsibility to help developing economies meet their energy needs in an environmentally sustainable way. So at the World Bank meetings in April, the Chancellor and I will propose a World Bank facility — a $20 billion fund for developing economies to invest in alternative sources of energy and greater energy efficiency,” he said. The DFID are starting pilot work in four of their country programmes beginning with Bangladesh in May.
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