Climate Change

When the World Bank recently stated that Climate Change is a real imminent threat to the peace of the world really should be a wake up call to all those Republican climate change deniers. Heaven forbid we should shutter the fact that oil profits could suffer. But, like Scrooge himself stated if the multitudes suffer and die so-be-it and decrease the surplus population is the mindset of too many of the powers that be. The real scary thought though is that global warming if left unchecked today with all the scientific evidence to back up the fact the earth is getting warmer will thrust the world into a much harsher reality within the next decade.

According to the World Bank and the United Nations climate change is rapidly pushing more people into abject poverty. By the year 2030 more than 150 million people will be faced with extreme poverty levels. The disruption of agriculture and lack of adequate fresh water will provide the fuel that will spread infectious diseases all around the globe. A world wide Pandemic would trigger man's greatest fear. The impact of global warming is felt mostly in poor countries and those other countries who have large populations at or below the poverty level, like the United States. All are still unprepared to deal with the effects that global warming is doing to our planet.

It is quite evident that that the US is still unprepared. After Hurricane Katrina the US government has yet to put in place protective measures in place to guard against the rising sea levels that are increasing every day. The other fact is that drought conditions right here in the US especially in California there has yet to be any national push to alleviate drought conditions when in fact other parts of the country are inundated with abundant rainfall and snow run offs. Many countries have so few resources to put in place the safeguards for their populations. Then there are other countries like the United States that have the resources and yet purposely refrain or find any excuse not to implement or put in place the resources needed to offset the effects of what man is continually doing to our environment by burning fossil fuel.

What many don't realize that there are three major factors that contribute to poverty and in this case widespread poverty levels in populations. Agricultural shocks that increases food prices, natural disasters, and contagious diseases. There is a fourth that is ragging across the Mid-East. These are all effects that are contributed by global warming that we are seeing today. Recent studies that the increase in global temperatures are responsible for crop loses and by 2030 those loses will be well over 5%. If left unchecked the temperature increases those crop loses by over 35% in 2060 .

The World Health Organization warned that temperature rises increases the number of people at risk for malaria and other infectious diseases. Yet, we have Republican members of congress up in arms when the present Administration vetoed the Keystone Pipeline and have made a concerted effort to do our part in reining in our output of carbon emissions. With a congress so tied to "Big Oil' it makes the United States still one of the member countries that really is part of the problem in reducing carbon emissions and retooling our industries using renewable green energy technologies. Even though the US has pledged over $100 billion annually to help developing countries reduce their carbon emissions. Money that is a contributor to our debt by the way and still won't be effective because larger economies like China and India still are increasing their carbon emissions with little effort to slow down.

Let us do more than hope that these statistics the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations have put together are the catalyst that brings together governments of all the leading industrial nations to formulate a plan of action to reduce carbon emissions drastically within the next five years. It is imperative to act on a plan of action to offset the harsh realities of what fossil fuel is doing to our planet. If governments fail to reach an accord and act on it what the World Bank predicts will come to pass and the world will continue to put populations lives in peril, not to mention the future of our planet. We have the technology and the available resources to usher in the fuel sources that will power the third and final industrial revolution.

report are suitably shocking and I hope they force world leaders to sit up and take notice," said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid. "The Paris deal needs to support the poor and vulnerable communities to cope with unavoidable climate crises better, and to be more resilient to a changed climate."

Despite pledges to rein in emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming gases, climate change isn't likely to stop anytime soon. Carbon emissions are expected to rise for many years as China, India and other developing countries expand the use of fossil fuels to power their economies.

RELATED GALLERY: The ongoing debate around climate change, emissions

The U.S. and other countries have collectively pledged to scale up climate financing to developed countries to $100 billion annually by 2020 to help them adapt to climate change and reduce their emissions. Developing countries are calling for commitments beyond 2020 in the Paris agreement but rich nations are reluctant to make firm promises, in part due to budget uncertainties.

A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated climate finance flows to developing countries reached $62 billion in 2014.

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Those who say that rich countries aren't doing enough to help the poor said the report added emphasis to demands for billions of dollars in so-called climate finance to developing countries.

"They have fewer resources and receive less support from family, community, the financial system, and even social safety nets to prevent, cope and adapt" The World Bank

"The statistics in the World Bank report are suitably shocking and I hope they force world leaders to sit up and take notice," said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid. "The Paris deal needs to support the poor and vulnerable communities to cope with unavoidable climate crises better, and to be more resilient to a changed climate."

Despite pledges to rein in emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming gases, climate change isn't likely to stop anytime soon. Carbon emissions are expected to rise for many years as China, India and other developing countries expand the use of fossil fuels to power their economies.

RELATED GALLERY: The ongoing debate around climate change, emissions

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