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Today it is the developing
countries who are paying the large bill for climate change. It is the farmers in Malawi, who do not know when the rain will fall and for that reason can not plan their harvest, and it is the islanders
by the cost of Bangladesh who see how their islands quietly disappear because of the increased erosion and rising sea levels. But it is the emission of greenhouse gases from the wealthy countries,
which have contributed to the climate change, and therefore it is also fair that the wealthy countries will have to pay a large part of the bill for adjusting and reducing CO2-emission.
The head of
the international department in DanChurchAid "Christian Friis Bach" says that "Denmark's share of the worlds total climate responsibility is close to 0, 4 percent. Yet this must be related to the fact
that the Danish population only constitutes 0, 08 of the worlds population. We consume a very large part of the worlds resources compared to other countries, and because of that we need to take a
comparatively large responsibility. "The key of justice" Stockholm Environmental Institute and the American
think tank EcoEquity have developed a "key of justice" regarding the allocation of responsibility in a climate agreement. The key will
take its starting point in two parameters: historic responsibility and financial capacity. By using these parameters it will be possible to figure out how much CO2-emission different countries should
have, and how much they should pay. They are calling the key for"Greenhouse Development Rights framework" (GDR). The right to developmentTo make sure the agreement is
fair, it is not sufficient only to look at the historic responsibility and capacity. It costs to development, in particular in CO2-emissions. The poorest have not contributed to global warming and
they should therefore not have to pay. Yet they should have the right to development even if it leads to CO2-emission. The poorest in the developing countries should on that basis not be included in
this "key of justice". The writers of GDR have set the threshold determining who is poor at approximately 20 USD a day. This is considerably more than the 2 USD a day which defines poverty accordingly
to the UN, but it is a level which includes the possibility of having a share of a social development, with respect for the fundamental rights to freedom from hunger and access to health and
education.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A woman holds her malnourished child at the Banaadir Hospital in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, May 5, 2009. Thousands of Somalis are suffering from malnutrition, lack of clean water and ...
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