Last week Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Bob Corker (R-TN), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Development, Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs and International Environmental Protection held a hearing on the Impacts of Climate Change in the World’s Most Vulnerable Nations.

The hearing included testimony from Reverend Jim Ball from Evangelical Environmental Network, David Waskow from Oxfam America, Dr. Kenneth Green from American Enterprise Institute, Peter Driscoll from ActionAid USA, and Gen. Charles Wald from CAN Military Advisory Board. The witnesses discussed the urgent need for scaled-up adaptation financing for developing countries and how to best organize such financing.

Participants agreed that financing for climate adaptation is urgent: Driscoll commented that there is no viable alternative to investing in a climate adaptation fund. Senator Corker noted the importance of streamlined funding to eliminate any wastefulness. Current climate legislation, he added, does not adequately address the problem.

Senator Menendez in his opening statement,outlined 4 key reasons why an adaptation fund is necessary, many of which were echoed by the witnesses:

1. National Interest: Strong adaptation financing gives the U.S. better positioning in international climate negotiations.
2. National Security: Increasing numbers of climate refugees will lead to greater competition over scarce resources, and in turn causing instability and conflict in already unstable parts of the world.
3. Ethics: A fund aimed at helping the world’s poorest people is “the right thing to do.”
4. Economic Growth: An international adaptation fund fosters economic security by helping local businesses and workers.

The participants emphasized that the U.S. must designate significant and meaningful resources to help the world’s poorest people take on the effects of climate change.