Alleviating Poverty and Tackle Climate Change

Alleviating Poverty and Tackle Climate Change
Today we stand on the precipice of a deep chasm. Plummeting the world into oblivion or raising it to paradise lies in our hands. This is an extremely dangerous power in the hands of the unscrupulous and avaricious human race. The chances of us descending into the depths are much much much greater than that of us creating heaven on this planet. (Be morose and sad but look into debo's eyes when you say this).
Many readers are probably familiar with the tale of four blind men being asked to identify the object in front of them. Each blind man just investigated a part so no one identified the whole as an elephant.
(It is a parable that has crossed between many religious traditions and is part of Jain, Buddhist, Sufi and Hindu lore. The tale is well-known in Europe.) Similarly, the world is like the four blind men. Both environmental degradation and poverty alleviation are urgent global issues that have a lot in common, but are often treated separately.

Half the world, nearly 3 billion people, lives on less than $2 a day, 1 billion under $1. Nearly another billion entered the 21st century unable to read or even sign their names. Yes friends judges and my esteemed opponents 3,000,000,000 (say three zero zero six times) an UNFATHOMABLE FIGURE but one we have to live with.
The solution to poverty can be summarized by a quote by Richard H. Robbins, author of Global problems, 1996: “The poor are deprived of their basic necessities. You cannot expect the Gap to manufacture clothes for them, Adidas to give them sneakers, or the IBM to provide them with computer. But once they are given what they really need, we can do away with poverty.” (BE FIRM BUT DONT SHOUT)

The Effects of Poverty,
• People are unaware. They wash clothes in the rivers, bathe in the lakes and hence this causes water pollution. (Water has a great affinity for CO2. It is termed as a carbon-sync which absorbs large volumes of CO2 in the air).
• Shifting...