editorial
A Relief From Global Warming
Simon Keeble
skeeble@aircargoworld.com
As of last month, the United Nations says contributions for global humanitarian relief in 2009 totaled $8.6 billion. Despite a year that has seen Goldman Sachs set aside $16.7 billion for employees, conman Bernie Madoff lose investors $13 billion and U.S. unemployment hit 10 percent, America remains
the world’s largest single aid donor with $2.5 billion.
In contrast, the combined contribution from the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi
Arabia this year only equals that of Spain - $103 million.
According to Sustainability activist Germanwatch, between 2004 and 2007
the number of climate-provoked humanitarian “events” rose from 718 to 1066;
the death toll was 50,590 and the cost was $426.7 billion.
Cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar in 2008, killed close to 150,000 people
and cost $4 billion.
Kofi Annan, former U.N. secretary general and now president of the Global
Humanitarian Forum notes, “Ninety-nine percent of all casualties occur in
developing countries. A stark contrast to the one percent of global emissions
attributable to some 50 of the least developed nations.”
As governments prepare to meet in Copenhagen next month, it is hard not
to link the cause and effect of climate change and humanitarian aid.
Yet none of the BRIC group — Brazil, Russia, India and China — is a significant U.N. humanitarian relief donor.
“Even if the United States or China — the world’s largest polluters in total
emissions — were to stop polluting today, if others are not on board, climate
change will continue to menace human society,” says Annan, who adds that
“everybody must contribute according to their fair share of responsibility.”
So in addition to reducing their hot air in Copenhagen, IATA together with
FIATA should propose the launch of their own humanitarian response to global
warming.
What industry has better logistics knowledge, manpower, infrastructure and
resources to establish a nonprofit organization to support aid agencies worldwide?
If the airlines accept the inevitability of a carbon emissions tax on their
operations, now is the moment to ensure the money is spent on the effects of
climate change, as well as its cause.
The result could be a humanitarian nonprofit managed by the world’s best
logistics companies. Call it HULOG.
The Brussels eco-crats might even make the subsequent emissions tax-deductible.
