[RippleFire]

From the US Agency for International Development (USAID) http://www.usaid.gov/environment/foriegn_aid.html:

The amount of money the U.S. Government spends on foreign aid, including in the environment sector, is associated with international agreements industrialized nations make to support development in less-industrialized countries. This includes United Nations agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity or the Framework Convention on Climate Change .

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC), of which the U.S. is a member, notes that "ODA [official development assistance] from G7 countries has fallen about $15 billion since 1992 – a reduction of almost 30% in real terms – and total ODA fell to a record low of 0.22% of DAC members' collective GNP." (OECD 1998)

The United Nations target for the ODA-GNP ratio is 0.7 percent, meaning that wealthier countries should try to contribute 7/10 of 1 percent of their total gross national product to helping develop their less-industrialized neighbors. This ratio amount would be analogous to an American citizen who makes $20,000 per year contributing $140 total to charity each year. As shown in the figure below, the United States and a number of other wealthy countries fall below this target ratio.The amount of money the U.S. Government spends on foreign aid, including in the environment sector, is associated with international agreements industrialized nations make to support development in less-industrialized countries. This includes United Nations agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity or the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC), of which the U.S. is a member, notes that "ODA [official development assistance] from G7 countries has fallen about $15 billion since 1992 – a reduction of almost 30% in real terms – and total ODA fell to a record low of 0.22% of DAC members' collective GNP." (OECD 1998)

The United Nations target for the ODA-GNP ratio is 0.7 percent, meaning that wealthier countries should try to contribute 7/10 of 1 percent of their total gross national product to helping develop their less-industrialized neighbors. This ratio amount would be analogous to an American citizen who makes $20,000 per year contributing $140 total to charity each year. As shown in the figure below, the United States and a number of other wealthy countries fall below this target ratio.

Net Official Development Assistance in 1997 as a Percentage of Gross National Product

(Source: USAID Environment Information Clearinghouse)

[RippleFire]

The United Nations target for the ODA-GNP ratio is 0.7 percent, meaning that wealthier countries should try to contribute 7/10 of 1 percent of their total gross national product to helping develop their less-industrialized neighbors. This ratio amount would be analogous to an American citizen who makes $20,000 per year contributing $140 total to charity each year.

Please note how misleading this is!

.007 x $20,000 = $140 and that is the analogy, but it sounds like it means a US taxpayer would only pay $140. Actually it goes like this:

.007 x GDP of 10 trillion dollars = 70 billion dollars. Divided among 100 million Federal income taxpayers in the USA = $700 per taxpayer.

Depending on how this would be paid for it might not show up directly in personal income tax rates, but the money has to come from somewhere, and taxpayers and consumers would ultimately pay for it.