In environmental news, The New York Times reports the U.S. and western Europe are spending billions of dollars to deal with the consequences of global warming while ignoring treaty obligations to pay for those same efforts in poorer countries. The U.S. and western Europe account for emitting two-thirds of carbon dioxide. African countries account for just 3 percent but have been the hardest hit. Spending on environmental recovery and adaptation in the world’s most vulnerable areas has reached just $40 million per year. Meanwhile, a new U.N. report on climate change is set to predict global warming will continue to most severely effect the world’s poorest nations. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says global warming could melt most of the Himalayan glaciers by the year 2030 and increase hunger in Africa.

Stephanie Tunmore of Greenpeace International: “Greenpeace research shows that it is technically and economically feasible to half global CO2 emissions by 2050 with a massive uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Governments and policymakers need to listen to what the scientists are telling to act immediately and decisively. We need an energy revolution while there’s still time.”