Britain pledges to involve poor countries in fighting climate change
Climate change ain’t gonna be pretty for any of us, but it will have an especially devastating impact on Africa: more extreme weather patterns will cause food insecurity, income loss, higher death rates, and more diseases. Calling the impacts of climate change on poor nations “a global ethical challenge,” British Secretary of State for International Development Hilary Benn pledged today to both increase aid to African countries and involve poorer nations in discussions and policy decisions on fighting global warming, including talks about a post-Kyoto agreement. Prime Minister Tony Blair said he hoped Africa and climate change would be on the agenda at a meeting of the G8 in St. Petersburg, Russia, this weekend, but the gathering is instead likely to be dominated by talk of energy security and nuclear nonproliferation. At a G8 meeting a year ago, countries pledged to, um, help Africa and fight climate change — but hey, you can never have too many pledges.
