We are not going to talk here about the Chenney/Rove/Wilson/Plame/Novak/Miller Uranium fiasco. Nor are we going to talk about the Uranium ore which is Niger’s main export. Neither are we going to talk about the government that gained from the exports of Uranium, the increased gap between the haves and the have-nots, and the fact that the government does not help the have-nots.What interests me here is how global climate change has impacted the Niger desert - part of the Sub-Saharan/Sahelian semiarid zone. The Niger people have few cars and even less coal-fired electric plants; but they are paying for our sins.

Each night we are shown by the CNN program, “Starving in Plain Sight” children dying of hunger and Oxfam do-gooders trying to save them - “Doctors Without Borders” giving a helping hand. BUT ABSOLUTELY NOBODY BRINGS UP THE SUBJECT OF DESERTIFICATION that follows global warming/climate change. Yes, we read about Spain and Portugal watching how the Sahara crosses into Europe. We are called to give money to save the children of Niger. My point is rather - we are the criminals that kill those children by our insistence not to confuse Detroit by telling the auto-makers, and the labor unions toiling in Detroit, that we must produce cars that use less gasoline or diesel. Just that - this simple!

We should not be called to donate from the goodness of our heart - we should rather be called to tax our oil use and help with these funds as a repayment of sorts for what we have done. I understand that Switzerland is thinking of taxing a penny each litter of fuel, and use that money to start programs in Switzerland and in places like Africa. This is a start, but let us not forget that US Congress was not able to pass a 5 cents gasoline tax - this when the price of gasoline was even cheaper then today. Even today we pay in the US one third of what the Europeans pay for gasoline - does this have any justification - where are those religious Cons — pro-lifers –when it comes to killing real children?

This article is prompted by the UN press-conference of today, where Ms. Margareta Wahlstroem, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator spoke of the revised UN Flash Appeal for Niger and the ongoing humanitarian assistance activities.

The Fulani tribesmen are nomads that live from their cattle. They traditionally move the cattle seasonally to places where they can feed. There always was hunger in between seasons - but now there is no end to it. Climate Change has done away with the rainy season and it will not be better next year.

The environmental/social movements, like Oxfam, are trying to find a way to help the starving without making them dependent on aid forever. There is an effort to get the nomads to learn agriculture to feed themselves - but that also will not work because there are no real rains in sight. Migration is no easy answer because they are not wanted in their own country by the country-elite, and clearly not by their neighbors. So what are they to do - yes we did this to them - they lived their normal lives but we started to drive vehicles the length of a city block.

Ms. Wahlstrom said that one of five children currently dies before the age of five - Niger ranks 176th out of 177 countries in the UNDP 2004 Human Development Index. The original Flash Appeal was for US$16 million - US$25.4 million have already been contributed or committed, but the revised appeal is for US$80.9 million needed for the period up till December 2005 - so the shortfall for this year alone is now US$55.5 million.

For further information, please call:
Stephanie Bunker, OCHA NY, 917-367-5126, mobile, 917-892-1679;
Vanessa Huguenin, OCHA-Geneva, +41-22-917-18-91.