It's about women, men and children struggling to survive through no fault of their own.

It's about families' traditional ways of life - paddy farming in Sri Lanka, pastoralism in Kenya and Alpaca herding in Peru - dying out.

But, crucially, it's not just about recognising the problem. For Practical Action it's also about supporting the solutions. Solutions that already exist.

Poor people can't wait: we can and must act, fast.

Right now we need action on two fronts:

• Ambitious funding for adaptation - to help poor countries cope with the impact of climate change now
• Binding commitments on mitigation - to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and control the devastating effects of climate change in the future

Adaptation

The impact of climate change is inevitable. But simple, practical actions can help people to minimise the ways in which floods, droughts and extreme weather affect their lives.

At Practical Action, we know that small-scale technologies can make a difference.

In Nepal, where communities face flash floods we are developing early warning systems, enabling families to prepare before disaster strikes. In Kenya, where cattle are struggling to survive we are introducing camels which cope better with drought conditions. In Sudan, we are training communities to build earth dams which capture the little rain that falls and release that water to boost crop growth.

Our work on the ground makes a compelling case for more ambitious funding for adaptation now - the survival of whole communities depends upon it. Wealthy nations, that have signed up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), have a moral and legal obligation to help people already suffering. People who have contributed least to the problem. In other words, funding for adaptation is not just about aid, it's about justice.

Mitigation

Without dramatic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, people in developing countries will continue to suffer from the impacts of climate change. Rising CO2 levels will result in more frequent and severe disasters such as floods and droughts. More hunger, more poverty and many more deaths.

If poor communities are to stand a chance of surviving the impacts of a changing climate, we need to make rapid reductions in our emissions. In the next 10 years, a 40% cut (from 1990 levels) is necessary. By 2050, we are likely to need a 95% cut.

Without this commitment, temperatures will rise by more than 1.5 degrees C, resulting in disaster for the world's poorest people.