Monday, February 05, 2007

World's poor to be hardest hit by global warming: UN

The world's poor, who are the least responsible for global warming, will suffer the most from climate change, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told environment ministers from around the world on Monday.

"The degradation of the global environment continues unabated ... and the effects of climate change are being felt across the globe," Ban said in a statement after last week's toughest warning yet that mankind is to blame for global warming.

In comments read on his behalf at the start of a major week-long gathering in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Ban said all countries would feel the adverse impact of climate change.

"But it is the poor, in Africa and developing small island states and elsewhere, who will suffer the most, even though they are the least responsible for global warming."

Experts say Africa is the lowest emitter of the greenhouse gases blamed for rising temperatures, but due to its poverty, under-development and geography, has the most to lose under dire predictions of wrenching change in weather patterns... Reuters

1 comment:

Dylan said...

The sad part is, they are still using words like "will" and "may". Sudanese, Etheopians and Somalians have died in their tens of thousands due to climate change. Micronesian islanders are finding their low lying islands uncultivable as sea levels rise to inundate croplands. It is happening and has happened. It is not a case of when, but already. The UN continues to highlight its own pussieness by moving the problem to the future as USA and UK continue building coal fired power plants that waste two thirds of the energy they generate.

InternAfrica is a not-for-profit organisation addressing the Cape Habitat Crisis through education of sustainable green building methods as demonstrated here on HouseIT