Billions To Fight Global Warming In Poor Countries

Just when you thought the government couldn’t possibly find another social justice program to blow taxpayer money on, the Obama Administration is asking Congress for a whopping $770 million to help developing countries with global climate change initiatives.

Here comes the best part. During Obama’s presidency American taxpayers have already doled out nearly $3 billion for this preposterous cause, according to a new congressional report posted this week by a think tank that publishes hard-to-find government documents of public policy interest.

The figures are tough to swallow for a country that’s $15.5 trillion in the red and counting. In fiscal year 2009 the administration got $323 million for the program—officially known as Global Climate Change Initiative—and the figure nearly tripled to $939 million in 2010. In 2011 it dropped slightly to $819 million and in 2012 it dipped a bit more to $773 million.

Do the math. That’s more than $2.8 billion to save the developing world from the presumed ills of global warming. That’s downright outrageous! But it’s part of Obama’s plan to categorize climate change as U.S. foreign assistance so that more money can go to the cause and “core” agencies—such as the Treasury and State Department— can participate. In fact, last month Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a new State Department coalition dedicated to the cause.

In the administration’s own words, the goal is to make climate financing efficient, effective and innovative. This is essential, according to the White House, because global climate change will have a strong impact on development in coming decades. The absence of strong global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will hinder future development. On the other hand, “smart climate policies” will result in a range of “economic and social benefits.”   

Via an official government website, the administration also claims that climate change is one of the century’s greatest challenges since it can compound pre-existing social stresses, including poverty, hunger, conflict, migration and the spread of disease. This threatens to diminish the “habitability of our planet,” according to the U.S. government. 

So there you go. Let’s pour more money into this dire cause while the nation suffers through a dire financial crisis. Here’s an example of where the money is going; adaptation programs that assist low-income countries in reducing their “vulnerability to climate change impacts” and help them build “climate resilience.” The “vulnerable” countries targeted are in Africa, Asia and Latin America.