July 23, 2017
Ringing in at a 25.4 percent poverty rate (click here), Romania is one of the six countries off the coast of the Black Sea in South East Europe that has seen its fair share of poverty and struggle in the last century. Taking part in both World Wars and being under Soviet occupation has severely weakened the economy as well as the morale of natives, and resulted in escalating poverty in Romania.
After reaching a point of good economic growth and being the second largest producer of oil in Europe after World War I, Romania was pulled into the crossfires of World War II by an ultimatum from the USSR. This led to Soviet occupation and, ultimately, the decline of Romania. Not only did the Soviets exploit Romanian natural resources, but they also they implemented a mass genocide targeting the Jews and Roma communities....
The World Bank’s (click here) recently completed Systematic Country Diagnostic highlights Romania’s vulnerability to natural disasters. Over the years, floods, droughts and earthquakes have cost the country thousands of casualties and billions of euros in damages to physical infrastructure. They have hurt the economy’s productive capacity and disproportionately affected the poor.
A vulnerable country
Countries around the world are already seeing evidence of the damaging impact of climate change, which is making past growth patterns unsustainable and reversing progress made on poverty reduction and shared prosperity.
Romania is no exception. Climate and natural disasters risks, including increasing incidences of severe inland flooding and more intense and frequent droughts, are becoming a “new normal” – the kind that comes with a high price tag.
Since 1990, 77 severe disaster events were recorded across the country, resulting in more than $3.5 billion in direct damages (in current dollar terms), or 3.5 percent of average GDP over the same period - a significant drag on the economy.
The story does not end here. Romania’s climate is predicted to change considerably over the next 50-100 years, and the estimates of the overall impact of climate-related hazards indicate that expected annual damage to infrastructure alone would double by 2020 and could be six times higher by 2080....
All too often political speech of Republicans in the USA state, the climate legislation, and participation of the USA in climate summits and agreements is to provide handouts to poorer countries.
One has to accept the idea that the USA has had a rather successful growth over the country's history. One has to also accept the idea that the USA has been looked to as a beacon of freedom and prosperity. The USA has entered into leadership positions in the world over the past one hundred years and there is a responsibility to the countries that reached for freedom and democracy and relationships with the USA.
A strategic relationship between Romania and the USA has existed for over 40 years. In that is an understanding that Romania's stability, economy and properity is important to the USA and Americans. Being a part of any climate initative is vital to these countries and their continued stability.
Romania has always been burdened with earthquakes (click here), but, adding to that the Climate Crisis is an increasing burden to a loyal ally.
...The most dangerous seismogenic zone (click here) in Romania is located in the subcrustal lithosphere at the bending of the Eastern Carpathians – Vrancea region....
Romania's poverty level has been 25 percent and as an ally within NATO that is not acceptable. Additionally, the climate is causing more and more problems and not less. Romania is concerned about it's poor and the future the children that have a new promise as a NATO member. Freedom and prosperity is important to Romania, but, with the additional burden the Climate Crisis adds, the ability to raise the poor out of their circumstances becomes extended on the timeline. As a NATO ally that cannot be acceptable to Americans.
The USA isn't an unwitting chump within any climate summit or agreement as the USA Republicans want to portray. The USA is a great country and it's prosperity is known and admired. The USA has a responsibility to it's allies if it is going to value it's national security. Every country that comes to the USA as an ally adds to the national security of the USA by virtue of still yet more land secure from other countries that are not allies.
It is the USA's responsibility to mitigate and end it's OWN greenhouse gas emissions. When the USA makes strides to end it's own greenhouse gas emissions that will alleviate the burdens of allies such as Romania. When allies are freed up from a burden of the climate crisis, the people can move forward to improve their quality of life, the prosperit of the country and improvement of the future of their children. It is high time the USA do it's part without question.
On 13 September 2011 (click here) American and Romanian Ministers of Foreign Affairs Hillary Clinton and Theodor Baconschi concluded an agreement on the deployment of ballistic missile defence systems to Romania. US President Barack Obama had a half an hour discussion with his Romanian counterpart Traian Băsescu and congratulated him on the document titled “Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century Between the United States of America and Romania” which was also signed during the event. The agreement on the deployment of missile defence systems was welcomed by the Secretary General of NATO, the Russian partner moderately voiced its concerns over the development, while the Romanian media presented it as a momentous security policy event and as a clear evidence of Romania’s growing geopolitical importance. The background of the missile defence treaty and Romanian diplomatic thought as well as various elements of the changing political latitude of Romanian foreign policy are elaborated on in the following....
