Why Is the US Cutting Off Climate Aid to the Poorest Country in South America?

[subsuelo]

(Democracy Now) The Obama administration has confirmed it’s denying climate aid to at least two countries that refused to sign onto last year’s Copenhagen environmental accord. The State Department has canceled funding of $3 million to Bolivia and $2.5 million to Ecuador. The funding was canceled at a time when Bolivia is losing its glaciers and suffering mass drought due to climate change. Bolivia’s lead climate negotiator Angélica Navarro calls on the developed world to pay a climate debt to poor nations suffering the impact of climate change.

AMY GOODMAN: We’re broadcasting here at the summit in the Bolivian town of Tiquipaya just outside Cochabamba. We did say that we were going to be joined by President Morales for the hour. We are anxiously awaiting his arrival. It’s not clear if he will be here, but stay with us. We’ve got some very interesting people coming up.

First, we’re going to turn to Angélica Navarro. She’s the Bolivian lead climate negotiator. She took part in an afternoon discussion yesterday on the state of international climate negotiations following the failed talks in Copenhagen. After the panel, she took questions from reporters, including Democracy Now! producer Mike Burke. She began by talking about how climate change is affecting Bolivia.

ANGÉLICA NAVARRO: We have at least two major imprints of climate change. And the first one is regarding our mountains and glaciers. And as I was mentioning in the presentation, what we have is the Tuni and Condoriri, that are two of the main glaciers that give drinking water to La Paz and , the main cities of Bolivia and the capital, are running out, actually, in the . And they have reduced between 40 to 50 percent.

So what we are facing, actually, in this case is problems with food security, but also only for drinking water for a population of around one to two million that may become internal migrant on climate change. The other one is, of course, droughts in the other parts of the country that are affected. And the third one is in the Amazon, where we have seen an increase on floating and also the malaria boundary that has been pushed to the north, because it’s more humid and more warm, actually. So this is the main ones.

MIKE BURKE: What is your response to the Obama administration’s decision last week to essentially cut off climate aid to Bolivia and other countries that opposed the Copenhagen Accord?

ANGÉLICA NAVARRO: Well, actually, we always thought that aid is also part of the international policy and relations. But we weren’t necessarily expecting in this administration to be so blatantly with—use it against one of the poorest countries in Latin America. We can have differences in international politics, but also on climate change. That doesn’t mean that they should penalize one of the poorest countries in Latin America.

On the other hand, maybe they think that we don’t need this aid anymore. And it’s true that what we think is that we want aid, but aid that is really needed and really member-driven or country-driven. So if it’s this kind of aid, we are happy to have it. If it’s a directed aid, then, of course, we have to think.

But we were really surprised by that decision. We don’t see how it has to affect it, one decision that we take on the international level, to aid to the poorest country in South America.

more http://pwccc.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/why-is-the-us-cutting-off-climate-aid-to-the-poorest-country-in-south-america%E2%80%93bolivian-climate-negotiator-angelica-navarro/">–Bolivian Climate Negotiator Angélica Navarro

[Bacchus39]

1. Bolivia is part of ALBA who will be picking up the slack I assume n/t

s

[protocol rv]

2. I didn't know Bolivia and Ecuador were "the poorest nation"

I thought the honor went to Haiti, and possibly Suriname? Also, why should the US be giving any aid at all to nations allied with communists who happen to be getting in bed with Cuba, Iran, Belarus, and other paragons of human right abuses, and causing trouble for the US? This is pathetically naive.

[EFerrari]

3. Am I wrong in thinking it was a threat used to try to stop the summit

in Bolivia?

If so, it failed.

That wouldn't explain Ecuador, though, and this is the first I hear of this. Is this a way to get Ecuador to back off their suit against Chevron?

[Bacchus39]

4. yes, you are wrong. and on Ecuador too. n/t

s

[protocol rv]

5. I don't think anybody heard about the summit in Bolivia

The summit had no credibility as soon as they started blaming "capitalism". They are so much like a broken record.

[rabs]

6. Evo was in New York at the U.N. last Friday

?w=250&h=179
He delivered a report to the Secretary General about the World Conference of the Peoples on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth held in Cochabamba last month.

Looks like the MSM paid scant, if any, attention.

~~ "No more subjection, I do not fear US blackmailing, impositions or conditions,” said Morales during a press conference at the UN headquarters.

"I very much hoped that with President Obama the United States would change its policy towards Latin America, but it anything changed it was only the color of the president," he said. (ouch)

More, English

http://hcvanalysis.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/may-7-press-conf-at-un-on-climate-issues-morales-takes-us-to-task/

[Bacchus39]

7. "...we are better off without them"

“The United States took preference tariffs from Bolivia and we are better off without them,” Bolivian President Evo Morales asserted at the UN on Friday.



Looks like there is no sense in criticizing the US withdrawl of aid. climate change, trade, or otherwise.

[EFerrari]

8. Thank you, rabs. I missed that somehow.

:hi:

[rabs]

9. For a reason that I don't recall, I get press releases from the Bolivian U.N. Mission.

Got this one via email last week, which alerted me that Evo was going to be in New York to report on the conference.

If you're interested, contact

www.boliviaun.org

to get on the mailing list, or call the ladies at the phone numbers. (Don't know whether they are with the mission or from a PR company.)

:hi:

---------------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 6, 2010

CONTACT:
MEGAN MORRISSEY – 202-365-6900
INGRID SABJA – 973-738-2301

Bolivian President Evo Morales to Deliver Results of People’s Conference on Climate Change to UN Sec Gen Ban Ki-moon

New York – On Friday, May 7th, President Evo Morales of Bolivia will personally present UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with the conclusions of the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of the Mother Earth, which was held in Cochabamba, Bolivia from April 20th to 22nd, 2010. Some 30,000 people hailing from over 150 countries attended the Conference, which offered governments and civil society groups a rare chance to work together to address climate change.

Bolivia’s first indigenous president will be joined in New York by delegates from around the world who were active at the conference, including: Nnimmo Bassey (Nigeria) and Asad Rehman (UK) from the organization Friends of the Earth, Yoon Guem Soon (South Korea) and Tomás Balduino (Brazil) of Via Campesina, Meena Raman (Mayalysia) of Third World Network, Jeremy Osborn (USA) of 350.org, Tom Goldtooth (USA) of the Indigenous Environmental Network, Enrique Daza (Colombia) of the Hemispheric Social Alliance, and Maude Barlow (Canada) of the Blue Planet Project.

Following the meeting with Ban Ki-moon, Morales will hold a press conference in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium of the United Nations at 1pm. He and the international delegates will later share the conclusions reached in the People’s Accord of Cochabamba with developing countries in a briefing to the G77 and China.

Last week, the Bolivian government submitted the People’s Accord to the UN body that deals with climate change negotiations in the form of an official contribution to the debates taking place under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Among the most important aspects of the People’s Accord are a project for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by developing countries for the 2010-2017 period, a draft Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth, a proposal for a global referendum on climate change, and recommendations for the creation of an International Climate and Justice Tribunal. Information is available on the conference website: http://cmpcc.org

###

www.boliviaun.org


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[Judi Lynn]

10. So interesting every time Evo Morales visits the States and has been mentioned by corporate media

prior to his arrival, he has been attended by CROWDS of people wanting to see him. He's been called to appear all over the place at those times, has even been on John Stewart's Daily Show, playing to a packed, enthusiastic, exuberant audience.

So what do our media take from this? Stonewall his ass, don't breathe a word, no one will ever know he's been here. People will not learn the next time how popular he really is with literate U.S. Americans.

Bravo, Evo Morales.