Reviews:(1) The End of Development? Global warming, disasters and the great reversal of human progress

After decades of painfully slow human advancement, global warming and bad development threaten a great reversal of human progress.

To illustrate this argument the author documents examples of some of the wider social and environmental implications of policy failures by the international community in addressing climate change and development.

These include weather related disasters, food security, migration, provision of fresh water, and debt

The report goes on to identify some key measures that rich nations must take without delay,

in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change and inequitable development on the world's poorest people:

+ View every policy through the lens of disaster risk reduction and mitigation

+ Carry out a global assessment of the local impacts of climate change and the costs of adaptation

+ Commit resources to help threatened countries adapt to global warming.

+ Direct a greater proportion of aid towards reducing the risk of weather-related disasters at community level in the world's least developed countries

+ Increase the capacities of national authorities and civil society to address the adverse impacts of climate change and disasters.

+ Make sure aid is spent according to humanitarian need, not according to geo-strategic priorities.

+ Restructure economic adjustment strategies to allow governments to spend more on disaster risk reduction measures and social safety nets for the most vulnerable.

+ Switch investment from fossil fuels to in clean technologies.

+ Plan a progressive reduction in resource consumption by rich nations.