Blog Contributor:
Darren Nowels
Aug 14th, 2009 1:05 PM UTC
By Darren Nowels
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 When the Senate reconvenes this fall, the chamber is slated to debate a bill that would address America’s greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate change. Helping the world’s poorest people take on the negative impacts of climate change is a small part of the US legislation, but will play an important part in fighting global poverty.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that agricultural yields in Africa will be reduced by 50% by 2020 due to shortened growing seasons. Between 75 and 250 million additional Africans could be lacking access to clean water supplies by 2020. This would increase the risk of resource-based conflicts. Diseases such as cholera, malaria, dengue fever, and meningitis will have increased prevalence among populations not yet exposed to these deadly infections. All of these damaging impacts of climate change combine to undermine the progress that has been made in the developing world, and threaten to leave millions more in poverty.
In an attempt to quantify the necessary level of contribution to help the world’s poorest, international organizations and NGOs have put forth a variety of proposals. Projected annual international contributions range from Oxford Institute of Energy Sciences’ $28 billion annually to a UNDP estimate of $86 billion annually. Just this week, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Yvo De Boer asserted that $100 billion per year would be necessary to sufficiently adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. A US contribution of 5% through its domestic legislation would deliver a strong signal for the global response to help the poorest countries respond to the effects of climate change.
Five percent builds upon last year’s bipartisan Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act which included in it that amount for the world’s poorest. In allocating 5% in this year’s Senate bill, we secure last year’s bipartisan commitment once again towards a sustainable future for the world’s poorest.
To sign ONE’s petition asking the Senate to allocate 5% of any revenue to begin helping the world’s poorest people overcome the threats posed by climate change, please click here.
-Darren Nowels
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Aug 5th, 2009 4:39 PM UTC
By Darren Nowels
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 Unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation are deadly forces undermining efforts to alleviate extreme poverty around the world. In June, we began a campaign to bring attention to the problem of shortages of clean water and proper sanitation amongst the world’s poorest people. We issued a petition asking senators to sign on as cosponsors to the Durbin-Corker Water for the World Act of 2009, with the goal of reaching 150,000 ONE member signatures and 20 cosponsors in order to move the bill along in the legislative process.
So far, we’ve had a strong response from our membership, with over 107,000 signatures. Our voices are definitely being heard. Since our last update, Senators Kit Bond (R-MO), Chris Dodd (D-CT), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) have all signed on, bringing the total to 17 cosponsors:
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Bob Corker, Bob (R-TN)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Sen. Byron Dorgan D-ND)
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT)
Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO)
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
We’re almost there! With 17 co-sponsors to date, we only need 3 more to reach our goal of 20 senators. In order to meet this goal, we will keep the petition open, hoping to get 150,000 signatures, so if you haven’t signed yet, you can sign it here. If you have signed it, please send the petition along to family and friends, and post it on your favorite social network site. This piece of legislation will be essential in the survival of millions of people, particularly women and children, and in the fight against extreme poverty. We need your continued support.
-Darren Nowels
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Jul 24th, 2009 1:54 PM UTC
By Darren Nowels
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On Tuesday, I attended a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing entitled Climate Change and Global Security: Challenges, Threats, and Diplomatic Opportunities. The hearing investigated the link between climate change and the predicted consequences to U.S. and international security. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) stated that climate change is a threat multiplier in its propensity to cause draughts and famine, creating ripe circumstances for devastating conflict. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) linked national security threats seen from American dependence on foreign oil with possible threats arising from the effects of climate change.
The star witness, former Senator John Warner (R-VA) focused on the need for the United States to be an international leader in developing new strategies to counter the consequences of climate change. Another witness, Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, President of the American Security Project, put forward that conditions such as famine and draughts that result from climate change will create an atmosphere conducive to the recruitment of terrorists. Admiral Gunn followed Senator Warner’s sentiments, saying the United States must lead the international community in adapting more effective climate policies. Sharon Burke, Vice President of the Center for a New American Security, highlighted the draughts and famines which help fuel conflict in places such as Somalia.
Members of the Committee in attendance were Senators John Kerry, Richard Lugar, Robert Casey (D-PA), Bob Corker (R-TN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Ted Kaufman (D-DE).
Senator Casey asked about the role of the NGO community, Senator Corker discussed the effect of migrating and refugee populations on the management of resources such as water supply, Senator Shaheen asked what support is necessary in order to carry out the needed reforms and what the costs would be of inaction.
-Darren Nowels
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Jun 25th, 2009 7:03 PM UTC
By Darren Nowels
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On Tuesday, I attended the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs hearing investigating the regional impact of drug trafficking in West Africa and America’s response to the problem. Senator Russ Feingold, who chaired the hearing, affirmed his commitment to this issue, outlining the need for both short and long term counter-narcotics strategies, including government and institutional reform and heightened interdiction efforts.
The panel of witnesses consisted of the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats, William Wechsler, and Chief of Operations of the Drug Enforcement Agency, Thomas Harrigan.
Ambassador Carson cited the high rates of poverty and political corruption, as well as the lack of proper border security amongst West African nations as the primary reasons behind the increased drug trade activity in the region. Without properly combating the drug traffickers’ efforts in West Africa, Ambassador Carson cautions about the spread of the drug trade and its destabilizing consequences to the rest of Africa, where incidents of drug trafficking have increased in Ethiopia and South Africa. There is still hope however, as Ambassador Carson pointed to anti-narcotics successes in Nigeria, saying that if the U.S. focuses its efforts in the region, “we can make a difference.”
Thomas Harrigan of the Drug Enforcement Agency focused on the need for building the investigative capacity of local law enforcement officials to combat drug trafficking, citing the successful working relationships between the DEA and Ghanaian law enforcement officials.
William Wechsler, of the Department of Defense, stressed the need for increased regional naval capacity and border security, and highlighted AFRICOM’s successful interdiction efforts in Africa.
Members of the subcommittee present at the hearing included Senators Russ Feingold, Johnny Isakson, and Ted Kaufman. Senator Isakson was interested in the prevalence of terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah in the West African drug trade, while Senator Feingold was concerned with the amount of U.S. diplomatic presence and lack of human intelligence on the ground in the region.
-Darren Nowels, ONE US Government Relations Intern
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