Oxfam Calls on Wealth Distribution to Tackle Climate Change

The UK must donate more money to poorer countries to help them cope with climate change, according to a charity. Oxfam said Britain had pledged �20m in "adaptation funds" - but needed to pay a further �1.2bn. They reached the figure by combining the amount of emissions a country produces with its ability to pay. The government said it was spending "more money than ever" to lift people out of poverty and make them less vulnerable to climate change. In the run-up to next month's G8 summit in Germany, Oxfam warned that �25bin was needed to fund projects in poor countries. But the world's richest nations have so far pledged only �90m in total, the charity said. Its report concluded developed countries should foot 80% of the bill for poorer countries to adapt. Oxfam's Kate Raworth said: "Rich countries are already making huge investments at home to adapt to climate change - so they know the scale of the problem. "But they are stalling when it comes to providing money for poorer countries to do the same." She said developing countries "cannot and should not be expected to foot the bill for the impact of rich countries' emissions".