'Forget climate change, we should spend on nutrition'
- added June 9, 2008
- 64 responses
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- jubal
- added this
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Malnutrition should be the world’s major priority for aid and development, a panel of eight leading economists, including five Nobel laureates, declared yesterday.
The provision of supplements of vitamin A and zinc to children in developing countries, to prevent avoidable deficiencies that affect hundreds of millions of children, is the most cost-effective way of making the world a better place, the Copenhagen Consensus initiative has found.
Three other strategies for improving diets in poor nations were also named among the top six of 30 challenges assessed by the project, which aims to prioritise solutions to the world’s many problems according to their costs and benefits.
Efforts to control global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, however, were rated at the bottom of the league table, as the economists considered the high costs of such action were not justified by the payoffs. Research into new low-carbon technologies, such as solar and nuclear fusion power, was ranked as more worthwhile, in 14th place.
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This article is the result of the panels voting on the issues most important to deal with in our world. I did not come up with the headline or the story, I am simply the messenger of the news article to the Current community. Thank you all for responding and weighing in on this subject. Both are extremely important to me. Climate change is a long term goal, but starvation is an immediate goal. Please keep that in mind.
The provision of supplements of vitamin A and zinc to children in developing countries, to prevent avoidable deficiencies that affect hundreds of millions of children, is the most cost-effective way of making the world a better place, the Copenhagen Consensus initiative has found.
Three other strategies for improving diets in poor nations were also named among the top six of 30 challenges assessed by the project, which aims to prioritise solutions to the world’s many problems according to their costs and benefits.
Efforts to control global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, however, were rated at the bottom of the league table, as the economists considered the high costs of such action were not justified by the payoffs. Research into new low-carbon technologies, such as solar and nuclear fusion power, was ranked as more worthwhile, in 14th place.
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This article is the result of the panels voting on the issues most important to deal with in our world. I did not come up with the headline or the story, I am simply the messenger of the news article to the Current community. Thank you all for responding and weighing in on this subject. Both are extremely important to me. Climate change is a long term goal, but starvation is an immediate goal. Please keep that in mind.
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we don't care about the starving. will you be watching euro 2008?
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You can work on both by encouraging Vegan diet.
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- CarolynGillis
- 4 months ago
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I agree that Global/Eco Issues are very important, but nothing should ever be as important as millions of people dying because of mal-nutrition and preventable diseases and finding ways to halt those problems.
Helping people should be our number one Priority..I don't think that should ever be debatable-
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- absentbree
- 4 months ago
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I think not having a planet is much more important.
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- shroomfairy
- 4 months ago
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Both issues are extemely important and both may be assisted by a sustainable future design.
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I want to be clear that because I posted this story that I personally am not saying that this is the #1 issue. I agree with 1Eco_Media and the others who have stated that both are equally important and both should be addressed with immediacy.
Climate change is a bigger fight because it is opposed by greedy and filthy rich multinational corporations who are extremely powerful, but easing the starvation and malnutrition of children is a much easier fight to win in the short run. -
Let's see, fix hunger first, SOME people are saved.
Fix Earth's health crisis first, ALL people are saved.
Not to diminish the starvation problem, but if we ignore Global Warming/Climate Change/Operation Earth Death, there is no chance for anyone.
I have seen the future, and it is not good.
END TRANSMISSION -
that's a good question. :)
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Post Title: 'Forget climate change, we should spend on nutrition'
Jubal, You're my friend and as your Friend you can count on me to tell you the truth. I did heard this type of comparison comment before but used on different subjects.
The comparison should not be made with two rights and important issues but on the contrary with one issue that it is wrong and the other right.
I would go for that if the title here would be compared to the War. Actually this is where You should be comparing it, to this War. Example:
"Forget the War, We should spend on nutrition" -
While I see everyone's logic, here's a thought: if we don't act quickly to stop climate change, we won't have much of an earth left to live on. Mal/undernutrition may threaten to kill millions of people, but all 6.5 B of us will be in the same situation if we don't act fast to stop he destruction of our planet....
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Jubal Thanks for catching up this UK post in which in my opinion, it is not more than dirty tactics used by people that wants to attack and diminish environmental issues. It is a dirty, dirty and wrong comparison! People that do that should be ashamed of themselves.
If it was a football's game this is compared with a "Penalty." Opsss! Someone just malicious kick someone on the groin in the defenders area. -
How are we supposte to help when the gas prises(and the prises for everything els) is so high?
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Lack of food is part of the global warming problem. Saving these people in the immediate doesn't help fix their surroundings so they don't need saving in the first place.
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- silently_sarah
- 4 months ago
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I agree with CarolynGillis. Every human being on earth could be well-fed with just the grains used to feed the factory-farmed cows bred for American's burgers and steaks. Yum. Not to mention the pollution created by factory farmed pigs and cows.
I think birth control education should be right up there with nutrition issues. -
The issue here has very little to do with both issues but in reality with misusing a title to call people's attention in detriment of Environmental Issues. Many of us know that both issues are important and it should not be used as a comparison play. Please read Jubal and my previous post. I am suggesting for you guys to not waist your fire argument over this!
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We should be discussing about a wrong literary tactic used by a person or Media Institution that came up with a title that attacks environmentalism labeling it as less important than Nutrition. No else everyone's discussion should not be put forward. As much as we argue about this it just a form of giving credit and encourage the Wrongs.
Therefore "Forget the War, We should spend on nutrition" Would be the right Title! -
forget climate change, we should spend on fixing governments. they are why we have so many impoverished people. people think theres something to be done about the planet, its doomed to do whether or not we are on it. the only future for the human race is off earth.
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People have been dying of starvation long before the first combustion engine was ever created. Global warming is a short term problem that’s gets a lot of attention because it effects everyone( rich people included)
You always see pictures of the world displayed whenever a website or article refers to global warming. However the world will not be destroyed because of global warming. Humans will be destroyed. Our problem is that we wrongly claim the earth as ours and attach it to everything human. So on an subconscious level we believe the earth will die when we as a species die.
When the first pictures of earth were taken from outer space everyone was thrilled. To this day people conceitedly proclaim that we all realized if only for a moment that we one and the same, all sharing a home on this little blue planet. However if you show a picture of some poor kid dying of malnutrition on ANY corner of the planet you’ll only get a fraction of a fraction of a response.
People just don’t care unless it directly affects themselves. As an atheist I find this horrible because I recognize (or believe) that god does not cherry pick the best souls for Christian or American bodies. Everyone should come into this world with at least the right to have sustenance. It would best serve our species if we all recognized this because everyone has the ability to contribute to our wellbeing just like everyone creates pollution.
The greatest act of compassion does not spring from a desire to save yourself, it comes from a desire to help those less fortunate then yourself. While it is good to see that a large number are getting behind the green movement it is incredibly disheartening to see us confirm our own inadequacies. That’s why I think fighting malnutrition is way more important then global warming. -
In many ways, the two issues go hand in hand. Without a healthy environment, providing nutrition for billions of people becomes increasingly difficult. We should work simultaneously to address both issues as they are both our moral imperative.
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I feel that the majority of these responses come from a very privileged view. Don't get me wrong, I do what I can on a personal level to try and prevent global warming and recognize the severity of the human strain on the earth. However, where is the empathy? Starvation is way more of an immediate human need. I find it interesting that most people have such a cold response to an emotional issue presented logically. I am referring to the actual article's point that reducing malnutrition is more cost effective than reducing global warming. If you were to hold a starving baby, child, man, or woman in your hands, i doubt you would say no, i don't want to spent 20 cents so this person can have vitamin A for a year, i want to pay carbon taxes. It's so easy to turn away from pictures taken halfway around the world instead of being outraged and horrified by this human suffering because we have no way of relating to the pain of starvation.
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A photo like that is worse than a photo of death, because it is death unrested. And all it would take is some food? Wow, that's easier to solve than cancer!
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cant feed em dont breed em....damn i love that bumper sticker even though i know its not that simple or realistic.
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nature needs us to go extinct .
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Drought which causes famine is caused by climate change as well as wasteful agricultural practices. I say we need to educate people and give them the tools to know how to feed themselves instead of depending on the World Bank and IMF 'loans' to starve them, and at the same time provide education on climate change in order to be able to adapt to the changes in land, water, etc. It is all connected but education is the key.
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Also, I posted about this new food advance from Doctors Without Borders called "plumpynut" that has been cutting malnutrition rates in Niger and other countries. This is a good first step towards then bringing education to people in these areas to learn how to grow their own food and sustain themselves instead of depending on those who give them loans with huge interest rates that wind up keeping them in poverty thus exacerbating the viscious cycle of poverty and famine. I think initiatives like this should be supported wholeheartedly.
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With all my "duo" respect here, you all have been manipulated by this Media Channel that, by the way are misleading everyone with a wrong title.
As much as you talk about it as much credit you will be given to them. Most of the time when I arrived on a Post, I started to read everything on the Post from top to bottom and not write my opinion just based on the last post. I know, it takes a lot of time but you can teach yourself to read things real fast and weight on the discussion first. I am going to say it again in case you have not read the previous Post: "This discussion is just speculation as you cannot compare Environmental issues over Nutritional ones as both are important issues. The End!
Now go ahead and start to give credit to the Wrongs again! -
in case you didnt understand me in the first place...im down for dat population control knaaa meeeen...hunger aids...all dat shit...yeah!! and keep pointin dat haarp at da ocean...word!! lets heat this sonofabitch....uhhh....it's gettin hot in hurrr... word...ronadlos got maaaad loot....let them starve...nah let them eat cake....word up son....word
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Sustainable development is about more than just adressing climate change its about preventing the increase in disasters in the developing world, and about making sure that a global recession caused by increased energy costs coupled with increased crop failures, drought, and flooding, don't undo the work we are doing to prevent people from starvation and malnurtition. The truth is we aren't doing enough to adress either problem and we need to realize that helpiing the developing world with more than just charity but with investmensts and microlending helps us as well!
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you're tellin' the truth, people are so self envolved it is rediculous. plus the fact thai the world has entered into ressession.
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I agree 100% with the panel that came to this conclusion. People are starving and they need to eat. Feeding the starving population of this world is a task that requires more than just shipping food somewhere. As we see in Burma/Myanmar, feeding the starving people requires overcoming tyrannical obstructions. In Africa, starvation is used as a military and political tactic. I would like to see at least as much attention and resources spent on ending global hunger as there is being spent on global warming. Excellent post Jubal, thank you for posting.
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The truth is there are enough resources on the planet to both remedy the climate and feed the hungry. As Kurt Vonnegut so poignantly wrote, "earths epitaph will read, 'we could have saved it but we were too cheap.'"
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I say, let the world go. If there aren't people who are concerned with the well-being of others, then this is not a world I want to live in, or support.
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i can only support environment solutions if it is a creative idea...shouting from platforms for money does not count....(and that includes al gore's rants).
hunger is a more climactic problem. governements who steal from their citizens and are corrupt is what needs to be addressed. i would much rather support "humanitarian" aid b/c humans are of much higher value than anything else on the planet. -
I'm going to take the position everyone is going to hate me for.
What about population control? If we start feeding starving people, they will just sustain, breed and starve -again-.
Why don't we start getting smart about birth rates instead of pretending this problem away?
There are nearly 7 billion people on this planet! When are we going to admit that we have a very serious overpopulation problem?
