Key Observations of the 2008 Forum

24-25 June, Geneva, Switzerland
President Gayoom of the Maldives during the Climate Justice debate of the 2008 Forum (Magalie Girardin)

• The scale of current impacts of climate change on people and communities, particularly in the context of multiple stresses, is immense, encompassing virtually the entire spectrum of social and economic development
  
• There is an urgent need to minimize risks associated with climate change, since the additional stress exerted by minor changes in climatic conditions have and can cause serious devastation, including significant loss of life and livelihood
  
• There already exists an adequate array of technical solutions and disaster risk reduction strategies for managing climate risks
  
• However, as the world’s poorest groups are the most vulnerable to climate change, since they have the least protection, they also by definition necessitate additional resources for even the most basic measures to be taken
  
• Additional resources for the adaptation needs of the world’s poor and vulnerable communities are currently grossly deficient
  
• There is also a serious lack of international leadership to provide adequate additional resources for adaptation, either through traditional flows, international climate change agreements, or otherwise.