Kathmandu, November 28:

A study report has suggested that international efforts aimed at helping poor women adapt to climate change will fail unless urgent action is taken.

The report was prepared on the basis of a study commissioned by ActionAid, an international anti-poverty agency, and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), in Nepal,

India and Bangladesh.

The report was released today.

The report, which comes a week before the United Nations’ Conference on Climate Change, has urged the governments to give women an equal say in adaptation financing to ensure funds effectively support poor women.

The climate change has affected 406,587 people in Nepal. This comes in the wake of massive monsoon floods that occurred earlier this year.

“It’s a wake-up call that urgent action is needed to save and protect people’s lives”, said Shyam Sundar Jnavaly, senior team leader, Emergency and Disaster Management at the ActionAid Nepal.

The report shows how poor women are struggling to cope with the impact of global warming and presents testimonies on what they think adaptation funds should be spent on. Women are hit the hardest by climate change because they have fewer means to adapt and prepare for extreme weather conditions.

“Our research shows although poor women are one of the groups most affected by climate change; they also have clear priorities for adaptation,’’ said Tom Mitchell, researcher at the IDS.