Amid G-7: Will Rich Countries Help Poor Ones Grapple With Climate Change?

"From his home in Bhutan’s capital of Thimphu, high in the Himalayas, Sonam P. Wangdi has witnessed climate change speed the retreat of glaciers and fuel flash floods in his country. He has watched other developing nations confront rising seas encroaching on Pacific islands and drought plaguing farms in Africa.

“We are bearing the brunt of the impacts,” said Wangdi, the chair of a group of 47 of the world’s poorest nations that negotiate as a bloc at international climate talks. “It’s the poorest who have contributed the least [to the problem], but who suffer the most. The richer countries have the most capacity to adapt to climate change, and they are the most insulated.”

Wangdi and representatives from the small, poor and often cash-strapped countries facing the immediate consequences of climate change won’t be at the table this week when President Biden and other leaders meet for the Group of Seven summit 5,000 miles away in England."

Brady Dennis reports for the Washington Post June 7, 2021.

Source: Washington Post, 06/08/2021