To Battle Climate Change, Look Toward Africa

A quarter-century after the Ethiopian famine crisis, another catastrophe threatens Africa: climate change. But this time, the First World stands to gain from improving the lot of the Third World. "The inefficiencies of the hydrocarbon economy will be replaced by clean, cheap renewables," pop star and activist Bob Geldof writes ahead of the Copenhagen summit. "Rather than deny these inexorable processes, we should embrace the opportunity they present if we are not to be left behind."

The rest of the world stands to gain financially from investing in Africa, the One campaign co-founder and Live Aid impresario writes for the Telegraph: "For example, growing trees to capture carbon could become a new cash crop for Africa’s farmers if the right framework is agreed in Copenhagen." The consequences of failing to act would be dire, Geldof warns: "It is all too easy for extreme poverty and climate change to feed a vicious cycle, making communities more vulnerable to extremist politics."
(More climate change stories.)