On cash, money should indeed change hands both for moral reasons (rich countries are largely responsible for the problem so far but poor ones will suffer most) and for practical ones (some poor countries do not have access to the capital they need to invest in mitigation).

ECONOMIST: The Copenhagen Summit

The people who are on Wall Street, who are losing their wealth, are the ones who poor people depend on for soup kitchens, food banks, homeless shelters, services for children.

NPR: Reporters Analyze Wall Street's Downward Turn

In many rich countries, and most poor ones, only the patchiest of records are kept.

ECONOMIST: Talking rubbish