Sure, Things Are Bad. But They Could Be A Lot Worse.

Today I think I'll mention a few important points in the news. First of all, if you haven't heard about the results of the Cop15 climate conference, and are interested in such matters, it's worth noting that what came out of the summit was the framework of an international non-binding treaty. I know that combining terms like 'non-binding' and 'treaty' sounds a little oxymoronic, and I find myself thinking 'what's the point?' But the point is this: like the health care reform bill that is being worked over by the House and Senate, a non-binding treaty is still a legal deal that can be refined and added to over time. It's a start (sort of), and that's what we should focus on. According to a brief article on ScienceNews.org, the Copenhagen Accord will establish, among other things, a trust fund that will be financed by industrialized nations to provide monetary aid to poorer nations to help them cope with the effects of climate change, and is a much needed continuation of the Kyoto Protocol. I, personally, am not happy with it, but I'm glad that it's been drafted.

In other news, in the aftermath of the earthquake that absolutely devastated Haiti, I've been hearing lots of stories - mostly on NPR, because I'm a total public radio nerd - about the slowness of aid coming from the US. Here's one such story that I found with a quick Google search. I agree that the US was beginning to look a bit unconcerned about the people of Haiti, considering that at the time when aid workers from Venezuela, China, France, and Iceland were already touching down at the Port au Prince airport, the only thing we had done was send a military plane over the country to examine the destruction and plan what to do. However, in the last 24 hours or so, the US has been able to mobilize or is preparing to mobilize a fairly impressive armada. Popular Mechanics has broken down the rescue effort quite nicely, which will include four Coast Guard Cutters, a C-130 cargo plane with aid supplies and personnel, flocks of urban rescue teams, an 894-foot Navy hospital ship, and the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. The most important thing to consider here is that this appears to be a well thought-out support plan. The ships and plane should be able to reach their targets quickly and the Coast Guard cutters contain desalinization equipment, providing the clean water that will be needed to stave off diseases like dysentery. In general, I'm please with the US government's actions. Although they were somewhat sluggish, I think the aid workers and supplies that reach Haiti will be effective, and problems that plagued Katrina relief will be avoided. Mainly, I'm thinking of the horror stories about aid workers reaching New Orleans and not having supplies or not being allowed into the city. And I hope that, as disaster relief reaches full force, history will show that the United States was responsible for an effective response to the earthquake in Haiti.

But time will tell.