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Sustainable development in a changing climate

Climate change threatens to destroy gains made in poverty reduction in many developing countries. In Africa changing rainfall patterns are already affecting food production and rising temperatures are increasing exposure to malaria. The impacts of these changes are felt most by the poorest people who have done least to cause them. Substantial funding will be needed to help poor countries tackle climate change. This funding must be additional to pledges already made for development assistance because developing countries are not responsible for the emissions which have caused climate change and the estimated costs cannot be met from existing development assistance or national budgets. The Government should make clear that it stands by the principle of new, additional and predictable funding support for climate change responses in developing countries.

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