GLOBAL MELTDOWN

The catalogue of disasters that are happening right now

Across the planet, rising temperatures are taking their toll

CARBON DIOXIDE

New research has found that levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - the main cause of global warming - are higher than at any time in the past 625,000 years. HOTTEST EVER

This year is expected to be the warmest ever recorded; 1998 was the hottest so far, but the past three years currently occupy the next three places.

DESERTIFICATION

The giant Kalahari desert, already four times the size of Britain, threatens to become larger still, covering farmland in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

EXPANDING OCEANS

The level of the world's seas and oceans is rising twice as fast as in the past, as their waters expand in rising temperatures and glaciers melt.

OCEAN EXILES

The people of the Carteret Islands, a scattering of atolls off Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific, have started to leave as their homes succumb to rising seas.

HURRICANES

Hurricane Epsilon - the 14th of the year - is forming in the Atlantic, even though the worst recorded hurricane season by far formally ended on Wednesday.

GLACIER MELT

Greenland glaciers have suddenly started racing towards the sea and melting. Much the same is beginning to happen to glaciers in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

WATER SHORTAGE

Areas such as the western USA, which depend on mountain snows for their water supplies, are running short as less snow falls - and what does fall melts earlier.

DISAPPEARING SPECIES

Sealife and birdlife have declined catastrophically this year along America's north-west Pacific coast, after a similar meltdown in the North Sea.

CORAL REEFS

Corals on the Great Barrier Reef are bleaching out and dying as sea temperatures rise and scientists fear that the whole reef may perish by 2050.
Also in this section

This needs an introduction / commentary. Are you up for the task?
I'm ignorant, but informing myself at the moment... anyone more knowledgeable out there who'd like to start? We also need an introduction and background info for the Global Economic Issues page... which could include history of the WTO and the IMF we could refer back to from this page... Hans? Derek? Any knowledge/wisdom to offer here? ~ Sharon

References:

  • Kiva is an organization founded by former employees of Paypal to facilitate person to person microloans between people in economically wealthy countries and those living in poverty in developing nations who need a helping hand to improve their livelihood. Partner organizations in the developing countries screen loan applicants, write a description of their business plans for the Kiva website, administer the loans locally, and keep lenders informed of the progress of the loan repayment. You can read stories about the changes microloans can make in peoples' lives in the Journals section of the site.
  • Life and Debt I have personally not seen this film, but its story told here is eye-opening - shocking - regarding the way the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) function, and the effects of their policies on poor countries. It is interesting that the mainstream media broadcasters in the US and Canada (excluding the CBC), in reporting on the demands of Live8, have said that one of the demands was for "free trade", when all of the Live8 statements have said what is needed to end poverty is "fair trade"... a slip of the tongue? or spin?
  • Fair Trade Concepts Information for consumers regarding ways to support fair trade practises and economic justice, "to promote sustainability for third world producers, the environment and local economies".
  • What is Fair Trade? A definition from the International Fair Trade Association's website.
  • There is an interesting statement by Yonas Yohannes of Ethiopia about African debt relief from an African perspective here.
  • An analysis of the G8 Debt Relief Proposal from the June 11, 2005 Finance ministers' meeting can be found here. The analysis was done by Kairos: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives.
From the analysis:
"The major shortcoming of the G8 proposal is that it continues the practice of basing eligibility for debt cancellation on adherence to IMF and World Bank policy dictates that often serve the interests of creditors over those of debtors. After meeting with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in early June to discuss the debt relief package, President Bush declared that “we’re not interested in supporting [governments] that [don't] have open economies and open markets.”"
~
"Unilateral trade liberalization measures demanded by the IMF and World Bank have undermined agriculture and food sovereignty in many countries. Ghana was forced to open its market to imported tomatoes, pushing many of the 3 million Ghanaians who once grew tomatoes into poverty. The introduction of user fees for health care and education have kept the poor away from clinics and children out of schools. The privatization of water services has resulted in price increases beyond the reach of the poor, forcing women to walk many kilometers to fetch untreated water."

Threads: Social Transformation


Page last modified on November 05, 2006, at 01:34 PM