With predictions of rising global temperatures and sea levels flying every which way, a new type of international aid may be poised to enter onto the world stage. This from the Reuters feed this morning:
Bangladesh says needs aid to adapt to warmer world
Sun Dec 2, 2007 3:20a
By Ruma PaulDHAKA (Reuters) – Disaster-prone Bangladesh, battered just weeks ago by a cyclone that devastated its low-lying coast, needs aid from big polluting nations to help it adapt to powerful storms, floods and rising seas, a government adviser says. Read more…
The idea that developing countries (to use the PI term) will need international aid to handle the rising sea levels and temperature changes is not new. What is new is that such a developing country is beginning to publicly state that the time that aid is needed is now.
“We will call upon developed countries to help us in adapting to climate changes … will also try to make them realize that it is for them we, the poor nations, are suffering and it is their moral duty to help us,” Karim told Reuters.
Bangladesh’s recommendations would be placed before United Nations climate talks being held in Bali, Indonesia, from Dec 3-14.
Unfortunately, I have doubts about the effectiveness of Bangladesh’s plead for aid. Trying to make developed nations recognize their moral responsibilities is normally an uphill battle. This is especially true of the United States. Even when we do recognize that it is our responsibly to solve a problem, and that we have the means to do so, it has been hard to spur this country on to action. Case and point, the Monterrey Conference and Johannesburg Summit on eradicating global hunger. The United States agreed in 2002 to contribute 0.7% of its national income to helping reach that goal. Of the 22 countries that have signed onto this goal, 5 have already raised the money, 11 have plans and schedules to raise the money, and 6 have no plan at all. Take a wild guess where the US falls. That’s right, 5 years later, we have no plan.
My hope is that Bangladesh does proceed to present its recommendations to the UN climate talks in Bali. It will still be an uphill battle from there. With US cooperation with the UN at a low compared to recent decades, this country is actively undermining the credibility of that international body. The US needs to recommit to the United Nations and all developed nations need to become seriously committed to using the UN as a venue for addressing global problems such as climate change.
We are entering a point in our history where a nation can no longer afford to be an isolationist nation. Our actions have far-reaching consequences, and so we must commit ourselves to a global view instead of a nationalist view of politics. Bangladesh is only the first country to need climate change aid. It will by no means be the only one.
