Posted on 05/31/2008 12:37:45 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
Where in the world can we do the most good? Supplying the micronutrients vitamin A and zinc to 80 percent of the 140 million children who lack them in developing countries is ranked as the highest priority by the expert panel at the Copenhagen Consensus 2008 Conference. The cost is $60 million per year, yielding benefits in health and cognitive development of over $1 billion.
Eight leading economists, including five Nobelists, were asked to prioritize 30 different proposed solutions to ten of the world's biggest problems. The proposed solutions were developed by more than 50 specialist scholars over the past two years and were presented as reports to the panel over the past week. Since we live in a world of scarce resources, not all good projects can be funded. So the experts were constrained in their decision making by allocating a budget of an "extra" $75 billion among the solutions over four years.
Number 2 on the list of Copenhagen Consensus 2008 priorities is to widen free trade by means of the Doha Development Agenda. The benefits from trade are enormous. Success at Doha trade negotiations could boost global income by $3 trillion per year, of which $2.5 trillion would go to the developing countries. At the Copenhagen Consensus Center press conference, University of Chicago economist Nancy Stokey explained, "Trade reform is not just for the long run, it would make people in developing countries better off right now. There are large benefits in the short run and the long run benefits are enormous."
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
Har!
I contest number 30 being on the list at all, and, upon reflection, doubt the effective application of any of the proposed problems’ solutions is possible or likely through existing world institutions based on their past and current perrformance. Productive results from this meeting should prove elusive.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to develop lists for nations like the United States to pump out billions of dollars for, and realize it will probably happen?
I’d just like to be able to develop a list of five things I’d like our government to do, and they’d tell me to go _ myself.
If we educate everyone in the world, they will make enough money to buy BMW’s and throw away their bicycles, which will make solving # 30 impossible. Perhaps the key to the global warming issue is throwing away our education system.
“In fact, the climate change analysis presented to the panel found that spending $800 billion until 2100 would yield just $685 billion in climate change benefits.”
LOLZ. Bring me that study!
More like 4 trillion would yield $50 million. ; )
“Perhaps the key to the global warming issue is throwing away our education system.”
Would you not say, in regard to throwing away our educational system that we are more than halfway there?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
ping
1) kill all the liberals
2) Kill all dictators and military junta leaders!
3) Wipe out everyone in the Middle East North, South, East and West of Israel.
Problems fixed!
Thanks, bump for later
Spending 4 trillion would waste 4 trillion and generate negative benefits
Why isn’t “lack of cash in Impy’s wallet” on this list?
The number one solution to most problems is....
...prayer.
The Climate Security Act?: Reject the ignorami
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | Sunday, June 1, 2008
Posted on 06/01/2008 8:23:09 AM PDT by Delacon
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2024392/posts
95% of the vitamins would be converted into numbered Swiss bank accounts of the thugs who run the vitamin deficient countries. The other 5% would go to the kids of their henchmen.
The thugs would, in addition, learn how important the vitamins are and figure out a way to withhold existing sources from rival tribes.
If the countries that needed the vitamins had cultures and governance that permitted appropriate vitamins to be distributed in, say, bread or milk, to 95% of the population and a government willing to do so, their people wouldn't need the vitamins--they would already have them. The problem is dysfunctional countries with dysfunctional cultures and governance, not vitamin deficiencies.
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