December/January 2008-2009 Volume 14 Number 1

Why are we ignoring the real global crisis?

I am amazed how the media is able to heap more fear and doom about the credit crunch and sliding global economies as each day passes, neglecting environmental news for a continuum of confidence-shaking speculation and prognosis.

Do not get me wrong. I am in no way underestimating the global financial crisis. In many ways it exemplifies what environmentalists have been saying for years. Consumer culture has taken us down a wrong street. We are a global community. What happens in far-off places affects us all - economically and environmentally. And if we live our lives in deficit - financially or ecologically - we will eventually get our fingers burned.

What shocks me is the ability of the media to feed us the most emotive and terrifying picture of financial meltdown, whilst it remains at best muffled over the dire consequences of climate change. The ramifications of recessions, even depressions, whilst painful, are recoverable, and, compared with climate change, the bounce back can be achieved within a reasonably short period of time.

The warming of the planet is another matter entirely. Scientists continue to tell us that urgent action is required and many believe that if we fail to respond quickly enough we are heading for mass extinction - homo sapiens included. Yet many in the developed world seem to be too lily-livered to face this head-on and vocalise the issues to the extent that politicians are forced not only to hear but to act. Those in the developing world that are already beginning to feel the pain of climate change are not so shy. And many are, quite rightly, calling on the west to stump up the money that will help them adapt.

At a recent meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group, Oxfam helped put this into figures. Its predictions put the cost of climate change adaptation in the developing world at £50 billion per year. And it stressed that this money must be in addition to Official Development Assistance. If funding is to take into account responsibility for climate change and ability to respond, Oxfam believes that 44 percent of this compensation should be borne by the US, with 32 percent coming from the EU.

Our weak response to climate change is costing lives and its financial burden will only increase as we drag our feet. Meanwhile, aid agencies struggle to cope as poverty, drought, flooding and food shortages wreak havoc on the lives of the most vulnerable.

I urge you to read Emily Doyle's moving account of Alpana, EPOTY's 'poster girl' on page ten. While the rest of the media sticks its head in the sand, WEM tries to put things into perspective.

 Erika Yarrow, Editor, WEM (Water & Environment Magazine) wemeditor@ciwem.org This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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