Blog Action Day: Climate Changes cause Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

The issue of poverty is an international problem at large. A large contributing factor is the issue of climate change and governement relations.I wrote a paper in my global inequality class recently about the climatic changes, effects, and reasons for poverty in the particular region of sub-Saharan Africa. This region in particular is so vulnerable and lacks the resources to even try to pull themselves out of the poverty trap they are in. According to the Human Development Report, “Droughts in the Horn of Africa and southern Africa in 2005 threatened the lives of over 14 million people across a swathe of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa”

As we know global inequality and poverty is a devastating problem and its elimination an overwhelming task. Its contributors are far and wide. However, one large contributor the continuation of this international inequality are the very serious climatic changes resulting from global warming. While a debate continues on the causes of global warming there is a general consensus that it is in fact occuring and the emission of the greenhouse gases is at fault. By far, the industrialized nations are the largest contributors, yet they are not the only ones. Because of this and much more, Sub-Saharan Africa, considered to be the poorest region in the world, is very vulnerable and being affected in several ways.

As analyzed in the HD report, “climate shocks can trigger powerful downward spirals in human development.” The poor may have no alternative but to reduce consumption, cut nutrition, take children out of school, or sell the productive assets on which their recovery depends. Thus, single climate catastrophes can create disadvantages felt for generations.

While we would all love to believe that aid is a result of accepting responsibility and a compassionate response to the plight of those less fortunate, it must be recognized that this may not always be true. Competing political and economic agendas of the responsible nations will make negotiations and implementation of effective programs more difficult.

What is needed to do to clear this problem is unknown. The best thing to do is to work together as a nation, universe and put an end to this problem. We have to start somewhere. Sub-Saharan Africa needs our help along with every other nation in the world.