UN Meeting in Nairobi on Climate Change

The UN has gathered 189 countries for a climate change conference in Nairobi. Special emphasis this year will be on the developing countries and especially Africa. Why? Because while their emissions of climate gases are much smaller than those of industrial countries in general and especially the US, they will apparently bear the brunt of the early onset of climate change.

A case in point: Terrible droughts have already plagued the African continent, destroying crops and livelihoods. Lake Chad, the main (and frequently only) source of fresh water for approximately 20 million people, has shrunk from 26,000 km2 in the 1960s to less than 1,500 km2 today, and is likely to dry up completely during this century.

Moreover, several large cities and coastal areas that are now home to 70 million inhabitants are likely to be inundated before 2080. The rising sea level pose a severe threat to cities such as Cape Town in South Africa, Lagos in Nigeria and Alexandria in Egypt - among others.

Notably missing from the discussions is the US, which, being the world's largest polluter par excellence, of course are set to face problems of their own: Rather than considering rebuilding New Orleans, which is situated below sea level already, one may start to worry about the future of the low-lying state of Florida...