The impact of climate change means a lower quality of life for the world’s most vulnerable people. At home and abroad, we need to make commitments to halt climate change by lowering emissions and building capacity in resource-poor nations.

Climate change is already having a serious negative impact on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. It is affecting growing conditions and causing more hunger. It is expanding the areas where diseases such as malaria can spread. It is raising sea levels and affecting water supplies. And it is causing more frequent and more severe extreme weather events.

The Facts

Developing countries are most affected by climate change and yet are least responsible for it. The build up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses which cause global warming can mostly be traced back to the world's richest countries. Canada is one of the highest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions per person.

We need to cut our greenhouse gas emissions to avoid even more catastrophic impacts of climate change. But we also need to do something about the impacts already being felt.There must be funding from the rich countries who are responsible for the historical emissions causing climate change to help poor countries cope with the impact of climate change and to adopt a clean energy path to development.

Our Focus

At the Copenhagen Climate Conference in 2009, leaders from the developed countries agreed to provide up to USD $30 billion over the next three years for adaptation and emission reductions in poorer countries. They also agreed to find US $100 billion a year by 2020—although studies show that much more funding will be needed. Make Poverty History will focus its work on climate change on promoting public education on the impacts of climate change on the poor, globally as well as in Canada; and in taking action to press Canada to provide funding to help poor countries cope with impacts of climate change and adopt a sustainable path to development.