We have only one earth, and everything is interconnected. It is very complicated, I certainly don't have the answer to what is fair and right.
But in my opinion it is equally important to make sure that all global citizens can be fed, educated and have access to healthcare, but at the same time do that in a way that makes sure that the next generations also keep having these options.
So I do agree with you Jan that greening Kiva might not be critically important but at the same time thinking about sustainable development might be more important than it ever was.
A torn up Tatiana (Who just started studying environmental science at the Open University)
Tatiana,
I think you are on the right track here (sorry Jan). There is a lot of research now showing that the environmental impacts of climate change affect individuals in poorer countries more than it affects countries with the infrastructure to better handle catastrophes. For example in 2007 a UN-sponsored meeting concluded:
This year, floods in China have forced nearly 800,000 people from their homes, caused almost $400 million worth of damage and affected over 300,000 hectares of crops. Meanwhile in Bangladesh, more than 3,000 people were killed and millions were left homeless when Cyclone Sidr struck on 15 November (2007).
“In view of the growing populations in Asia and the need for secure access to food for these populations, indoor and urban agriculture is also receiving special attention to make most efficient use of space using controlled environments,” said WMO (the World Meteorological Organization) Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.
Participants conferred on issues critical to promoting sustainable agriculture in the region, including drought response, impacts of climate change, water resources, pest and diseases.
WMO recommends countries invest more in urban and indoor agriculture that can assist greatly in providing food for the hundreds of millions of people living in Asian cities whose populations are surging.
The agency also measures providing seasonal prediction and early warning systems are crucial, as well as monitoring systems for regional droughts to guide farmers' decisions on when, where and what crop is best to grow. Forecasts can also help in better managing the spread of pests and diseases.
UN-backed meeting on climate change's impact on agriculture wraps upConsider also that many of the poorest of the poor, for example in Cameroon where they raise much of their own food, and drink water from wells or rivers. Sustainable practices are of immediate concern. If your upriver neighbor begins dumping more waste into your water supply it can affect your health and well being quite dramatically.
Consider also this Kiva Fellow's blog from Sierra
Speaking about Poverty and what effects the flood had on Doña Reina Marina Fernandez.
She lives in a tiny isolated village. To get there I rode on the back of a motocycle for over two hours of dirt road. We stopped twice to push it through rivers and sludge. We arrive to find the majority of her property totally destroyed by the recent flooding that has decimated the southern region of Honduras. The flooding has changed the shape of her land and her oven is about to fall off a cliff. She is trying to figure out how to move it since she makes her business baking bread and other sweets.
For several months this year, the flooding isolated this town. Most of the crops of every person, including Doña Reina, were destroyed and there is little to eat. They take the bus in now to Danli to buy basic goods, and try to sell them in an economy, that for all appearances, is hardly functioning.
They live in garbage. As we drive up, dirty children come to greet us. Big, haunting stares. As we talk I find it hard to focus for the sheer quantity of flies in their open homes.
Dona has many things on her mind right now, but if you asked her about environmental issues that affect her, I think that you would find that she is interested in creating sustainable ways for her children to grow food for themselves and to sell.
Just musing here, but I think that we all need to be concerned about the environment. It is not local, and here in California where I have clean water, a sanitation system and a warm place to get out of the weather it might be easy to forget about someone like Dona whose life is greatly affected by a flood. Was the flood caused by deforestation in her area? I don't know. But Dona probably didn't cut down those trees or buy products made from their wood, likely they were sold in a more developed place (like the US). Or maybe it was just climate change causing more and heavier rains? Whatever the case, she is living with the consequences.
-Kerry-
Other interesting resources:
Developing Countries Lack Means To Acquire More Efficient Technologies and
Poverty and the Environment
