Kofi Annan: Climate Change Is Killing 300,000 People Annually

The Global Humanitarian Forum, led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, has put out a report claiming 300,000 people a year around the world are killed by climate change.

The report goes on to claim that this total will rise to a half a million people annually by 2030.

The report states:

From now onwards we know that climate change is the single most destructive force confronting humankind today. Greenhouse gas emissions are the fuel of this force.

The future of humanity is endangered by humanity itself.

One section of the report highlights "climate witnesses." One of these witnesses is a young Canadian woman named Jesse Mike from Baffin Island which is part of the territory of Nunavut. She spoke of a friend who was killed "hunting on thinning sea ice."

The loss of her friend is certainly tragic. But hunting or fishing or any activity on "thinning sea ice" is a risky proposition in the first place. Now if hunting on thinning sea ice is essential to their way of living it would be wise to take precautions - don't hunt alone, wear a life jacket, keep dry clothes close at hand, etc.

Blaming climate change isn't going to bring Ms. Mike's friend back nor is reducing or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions going to reduce the risks involved in hunting on thinning sea ice.

This report is part of the lead up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December. The objective of this gathering is to establish a new global agreement on climate change when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

As for the claim that climate change is killing 300,000 people a year consider how global warming wreaked havoc on South Park.