In Depth

Climate change has displaced more than 26 million people, costs the world an estimated $125 billion in economic losses and leads to more than 300,000 deaths a year.

Creeping deserts consume farmland and changes in weather patterns cause floods, which expand hunger and disease among the world's most vulnerable and touch off conflicts over dwindling resources, according to the Global Humanitarian Forum.

So far, the world's most vulnerable have paid the greatest price for climate change. Yet, the United Nations estimates that the one billion people who live on less than $1 a day account for less than 3% of the world's carbon footprint.

A recent report says unless we change course on current emissions behavior, the world temperature will raise by six degrees centigrade — a terrific plot for a blockbuster disaster movie.

Read a blog post on Climate Change by Mercy Corps Dr. Jim Jarvie and follow him live from the talks in Copenhagen.

So where does that leave us as the world summit on climate change in Copenhagen approaches and plays out?

It's possible we will have a situation where a lack of a deal in Copenhagen signals a lack of urgency, and the debate retreats to questions over the veracity of climate change, not how we slow it down and deal with the impacts felt now and held in store for us in the future.

With 43 percent of the U.S. population recently reported as not thinking that climate change is real, as well as 20 percent in the United Kingdom, the likelihood seems high.

What should we do? As dull as it sounds, we need to get onto our political representatives and ask them to take this seriously. They are working for you and, together, you leave the legacy for the world future generations are born into. There is a danger in the democratic world, where 24-hour news cycles and four to six year election cycles hold sway, that the impetus for the politicians, the only people with the power to mandate change, will dwindle.

Hold them to their jobs representing your interests. Make it clear climate change matters for your vote, their mandates and terms in office.