African politicians and NGOs are demanding reparation for the damage allegedly being inflicted on the continent by global warming — a problem that, according to campaigners, continues to persist only because of the activities of developed countries.
As mentioned in The Independent, campaigners insist “compensation should cover everything from storm damage and crop failure to desertification and forest degradation.”
Moreover, they maintain that “the funds should also help meet the cost of the mass migration that is inevitable as huge areas become uninhabitable, as well as the rise in diseases such as malaria.”
At the rate things are going, it seems like campaigners might have a difficult time making rich countries accountable, given that using the terms liability and compensation in any agreement could open these countries up to billions of dollars of debt.
Todd Stern, US special envoy for climate change, added, however, that countries in Europe could be willing to give financial assistance, though “under a different name.”
Curiously, though, some African countries themselves are known to profit from industries which produce massive amounts of carbon dioxide emissions — wouldn’t it be quite hypocritical of them to demand compensation for something they are benefiting from, as well?
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