Friday, December 18, 2009

I want to thank the President for his delayed arrival in Copenhagen. He didn't have to do this for us. He did.

President Obama gave a stunning address to the delegates at the climate conference. From this side of the vantage point, it followed a very interesting speech by the Ethiopian President.

Ethiopia is in very bad condition. It was once a paradise where flora flourished and there were abundant regions of water. Today, due to Climate Change spawned by Human Induced Global Warming, Ethiopia is a parched desert with migrating people to find relief from their suffering.

The Ethiopian President stated, "1.5 to survive." He stated his concern revolved around a reality that is dearly not spoken to enough and that is the fact 'the species' of human being might not survive Climate Change. The reference to 1.5 is the number of degrees' Celcius he would like to have the temperature of Earth maintained in order to insure a rich biotic Earth.

It was good to hear from him. It is not many world stages where these leaders can be heard. The criticism of many of these small countries by the so called 'civilized First World' is that they have too many problems to even trust them with monies that are suppose to be targeted for protecting their lands, hence their people.

It is an unfair and biased assessment of the very neediest of countries on Earth. Their people are allowed to survive no different than any other and it is they that have the greatest risk to die. Providing water and food isn't the only aspect of 'care' these people need. They need to move from poverty and provide protections for their land. Poverty is the greatest threat to any Climate Change. I look forward to the conclusion of the conference at Copenhagen and a strong resolve for these very brave countries. They don't need nuclear energy either.

Thank you for your consideration of any of these views.

Some 74,000 Africans cross Gulf of Aden to Yemen in record-breaking year (click here)

...In some cases they are beaten, raped, killed or just thrown overboard into the shark-infested waters. In addition, the overloaded and overcrowded boats sometimes capsize, resulting in the drowning of many onboard.

According to the latest UNHCR statistics, at least 309 people drowned or did not survive the trip this year. In 2008, some 590 people died during the crossing. Many more people went missing and are presumed dead. The mixed migration route through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea is presently the busiest and the deadliest one in the world.

Unlike in previous years, Somalis are no longer the majority of arrivals. With nearly 32,000 Somali arrivals this year their number remains steady in comparison to 2008. However, the number of Ethiopians reaching Yemen more than doubled this year to above 42,000.

While virtually all arriving Somalis approach the two, strategically positioned reception centres in Mayfaa and Ahwar, where they receive protection and assistance, only some 9,000 Ethiopians went to these venues this year. Most press on towards the Persian Gulf states in search of job opportunities....





..."We entered this negotiation at a time (click title to entry - thank you) when there were significant differences between countries. Developed and developing countries have now agreed to listing their national actions and commitments, a finance mechanism, to set a mitigation target of 2 degrees Celsius and to provide information on the implementation of their actions through national communications, with provisions for international consultations and analysis under clearly defined guidelines.

"No country is entirely satisfied with each element but this is a meaningful and historic step forward and a foundation from which to make further progress."...