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.
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.
The previous Copenhagen Consensus, held in 2004, also listed global warming as its lowest priority. The exercise was organised by Bjorn Lomborg, the controversial Danish statistician who has long argued that though climate change is real, current approaches to fighting it offer poor value for money.
And when you see pictures of children in 'developing' countries like the one above, how can you not agree! But save the planet and the children be damned, right? In a funny way i'm thinking of quote No.4 in the post below...Men really are absurd!
Click on the link below for the full article:
'Forget climate change, we should spend on nutrition' - Times Online
11 comments:
I agree with you
One reason why I find myself drawn more and more to engaging in direct efforts to provide direct services to those in need. Governments and international organizations have a central role to play but me I don tire to dey wait for them.
By the way, I am listening to Duffy as I read/write this. Did not think much of the only track of Adele's I could get on Napster.
@Naapali - Side stepping the governments and international organisations seems to be the only viable option, but what can the lay man do to really make a difference?
@Naapali (again) - What do think if Duffy?
- re first question; find out organizations doing something that interests you and volunteer. I say that knowing it is not in itself an ideal situation but the philosopher that you are knows that the world we inhabit does not cater for ideal situations. No single organization will meet, fulfill or fully respect/address your sensibilities/desires. I however have taken the stance that problems are solved by taking an assessment, getting in and working on the problem with frequent assessments/calibration/adjustments along the way.
So I recommend we all think about the skills/talents we have, how they can be best applied and join people already doing something. With time we will get better at doing this and can then go off to create change in more direct ways.
- re Duffy: I actually listened to the whole Rockferry album and liked it as an ensemble, especially the title song and Warwick Avenue.
Sound advice as usual. Thanks!
I'm finding that in several areas of my life now i've had enough of the talk, talk, talk and think its now time for action...
oh ma gosh!!!!!!!!!! THAT I MAGE JUST PIERCED MY HEART....DID U SEE THE CHILD'S THIGHS..OH MA GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ms cocoa brown - It is heart breaking..
i sooo totally agree with u UC! (i cant blv i'm doing that...lol)
this picture made my heart weep! if we keep shouting global warming and spending all funds while pple are dying for lack of food, there'll prolly be nobody around to witness the climate disaster!
@smaragd - i only wish the powers that be also agreed :)
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