This. The everyday indignities and debilitations of poverty make international diplomacy and the conference halls of Lima seem abstract and quixotic. But poverty is perhaps the most important factor in determining whether a person will be killed or made homeless by climate change. The blow will fall hardest in places such as South Tarawa not simply because of geography, but because there are no resources here to defend against a more violent climate. In his office at Parliament House, built on reclaimed land, Kiribati’s president Anote Tong tells the Guardian that even if the Lima talks and next year’s long hoped-for Paris agreement codify the most severe emissions reductions, it will have little relevance for the country. “What strong action can happen in Paris?” he asks. “It doesn’t matter for us because what is already in the atmosphere will ensure that the problem we are facing will continue to happen.” Read more: theguardian/environment/2014/dec/04/in-30-years-maybe-kiribati-will-disappear-climate-change
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 22:13:10 +0000
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