Triage????

Global warming and global poverty were the main global problems till recently when global economic downturn relegated these two problems to down the list of priorities. Is it right for government to triage that is to give economic downturn a priority over all others? This is where our governments can be mistaken. I think they have to choose all these three problems simultaneously. We cannot escape one without addressing the others. 

Climate change is now also no longer far-flung threat to progress. Increased CO2 in atmosphere will gradually lead to irreversible path of an ice free world and sea level will rise by several meters. The consequences of this scenario will be ill-timed and out of the blue natural disasters and it will be hamper in tacking economic downturn.

Similarly allowing poverty to reach its apogee will increase the prevalence of failed states and it will make this world less safe for investment. We have millions of people slipped into poverty in last couple of financial years.

Yet it will unarguably tough to hit on head of all three roadblocks .But there has to be start .Policies should be like that they should be address at least two of these three problems in a single swipe. For example, conditional cash transfers in Brazil and Mexico are examples of efforts to both reduce poverty today and, by tying them to children's education and health, also boost future growth

Another example could be stimulus packages in energy efficiency. This was a major feature of Barack Obama’s election pitch .It cannot be better time than now for governments to invest sizeable amount in green projects. Taking advantage of declining capital costs of hydro, wind, geothermal and solar; investing in these technologies now will be benignant to economy, anticipating the resurgence of fossil fuel prices

So far no country is been able to improve its living standards without increasing its carbon blueprint. But now its time for change this trend, Global warming hurts the poor the most. Climate change is causing a spike in natural disasters as well as devouring up tillable land and reducing water availability in critical areas.

Economic, social and environmental dimensions of the recovery are no longer distinct goals with phased solutions. They are part of the same package of needed actions.