human development report

The United Nations published their 2007/2008 Human Development Report. Not much in it is new. The report reiterates the urgency of environmental regulations (reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through various methods) and the early signs of the breakdown of our common environment due to global warming (floods, droughts, hurricanes...etc.)

But one point is highlighted in this reported, and it's one that has unfortunately not been emphasized enough, let alone mentioned. In the first paragraph of the summary: "The poorest countries and most vulnerable citizens will suffer the earliest and most damaging setbacks, even though they have contributed least to the problem." This is a major violation of human rights. The poor are being punished for a negligence they didn't practice; and taxed for goods they didn't purchase. How unfair.

Read the report to learn more about how unstable environmental conditions affect countries with inadequete infrastructure. We have to remember that most developing countries don't have their own Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). And we all know how great a job they did with Katrina.