Adaptation to climate change

Much activity with regard to climate change is targeted towards the long term, to achieve energy efficiency, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, etc. But in the short term -- maybe within the next two decades itself -- there are likely to be considerable adverse impacts of climate change because of the rising sea levels, river flooding, and changes in rainfall patterns. The people who will face the greatest challenges to adapt to the changing conditions during this time, will be the poor people in developing countries. However, no government is looking at comprehensive adaptation strategies for this purpose, such as creating relief funds and weather insurance policies. Without such programs, the poor will face increasingly challenging times, and so much funds spent on healthcare and education and housing could just go waste.