Copenhagen

With Copenhagen last week, Ms Aucoin thought it could be very interesting for students to share what they think about the idea of wealthier countries taking more responsibility for climate change than the developing countries. Please read this article:


http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/un-environment-chief-calls-on-china-us-to-raise-offers/

Here are some questions to keep in mind while reading:

1. Why have developing countries argued that wealthier, industrialized nations should sacrifice more to fight climate change? Do you agree?

2. China is now the world's largest polluter, surpassing the United States. Should she continue to claim status as a developing country?

3. To what extent have business interests hindered progress?

It's possible the Martinican students will be too busy with their final exams to add their ideas to the exchange. Nevertheless, I wanted to add this piece to discussions on climate change:
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=120498442&m=121353021
If projections are correct is seems as if Florida will be greatly affected by global warming. What about the small island of Martinique? Are you worried? What should we do to protect land surrounded by the sea? Listening to the specifics of what will happen to Florida made me shudder to think about Martinique. However, on a more positive note I listened to Edouard Glissant at the Prix Carbet awards ceremony. He says that small political entities will have a greater ability to confront moments of crisis because they can tap into indigenous sources of knowledge.  Is that a viable idea? Can the Martinican students explain this resevoir of talent and knowledge that Glissant was referring to?

The Healthcare debate

This week's article is by Paul Krugman (Nobel Peace Prize Winner for Economics in 2008):
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/opinion/04krugman.html?hp
He argues (convincingly in my opinion) that we absolutely must enact universal health care coverage for all Americans. Do you agree with his point of view? If it's as obvious as he makes it seem than why is there such difficulty getting the bill passed? What are the ideological and practical issues that prevent the bill from being embraced by all?

Here's some additional information if you need it:
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/how-to-control-rising-health-care-costs/
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/what-happened-to-a-public-health-plan/