Now "rich" nations need to sit up, take notice and actually "do" something.....for as this piece on Forbes so clearly spells out, climate change is already, and most certainly will in the future, lead to all manner of diabolical consequences.
"There is broad scientific agreement that the burning of fossil fuels is leading to warmer weather, and a slew of negative climate changes. These include decreased rainfall, desertification, deforestation, melting polar ice caps, higher ocean levels, stronger storms, and transboundary haze. Climate effects, in turn, will cause geographically widespread and frequent food and water shortages that lead to population displacement. The resulting migrants are, in a simple but controversial phrase, “climate refugees.” Climate refugees are the latest group of the global poor to clamor at the gates of the developed world. But they are largely ignored by the international community.
Natural disasters displaced 36 million people in 2009, the year of the last full study. Of those, 20 million moved because of climate-change related factors. Scientists predict natural disaster-related refugees to increase to as many as 50 to 200 million in 2050. This will cause increasing social stress and violence, mostly in developing nations without the resources to cope, such as in poorer coastal countries in Asia, and in regions of Africa subject to desertification.
The U.S., European countries, Canada, China, Russia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, and oil-producing countries cause most of the emissions on an absolute, cumulative, and per-capita basis, yet, individuals in developing countries feel most of the negative effects. To counterbalance the negative externality incurred by the global poor and caused in developed, emerging, and oil-producing countries, some theories of justice would require the latter to provide loss and damage compensation directly to climate refugees for the effects of global warming."
"There is broad scientific agreement that the burning of fossil fuels is leading to warmer weather, and a slew of negative climate changes. These include decreased rainfall, desertification, deforestation, melting polar ice caps, higher ocean levels, stronger storms, and transboundary haze. Climate effects, in turn, will cause geographically widespread and frequent food and water shortages that lead to population displacement. The resulting migrants are, in a simple but controversial phrase, “climate refugees.” Climate refugees are the latest group of the global poor to clamor at the gates of the developed world. But they are largely ignored by the international community.
Natural disasters displaced 36 million people in 2009, the year of the last full study. Of those, 20 million moved because of climate-change related factors. Scientists predict natural disaster-related refugees to increase to as many as 50 to 200 million in 2050. This will cause increasing social stress and violence, mostly in developing nations without the resources to cope, such as in poorer coastal countries in Asia, and in regions of Africa subject to desertification.
The U.S., European countries, Canada, China, Russia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, and oil-producing countries cause most of the emissions on an absolute, cumulative, and per-capita basis, yet, individuals in developing countries feel most of the negative effects. To counterbalance the negative externality incurred by the global poor and caused in developed, emerging, and oil-producing countries, some theories of justice would require the latter to provide loss and damage compensation directly to climate refugees for the effects of global warming."
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