Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) speaking at the climate summit in Washington, DC; April 16, 2007

Activists and others in the U.S. are starting to play up the moral implications of not responding quickly and strongly to climate change. It might be a winning strategy, since the U.S. electorate fancy themselves nothing if not moral.

Friends of the Earth, ActionAid, Oxfam, Jubilee USA, and several others held a summit yesterday playing up how climate change is impacting -- and will continue to impact -- international development and anti-poverty efforts.

A couple key points:

  • "Africa accounts for just 3 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, but drought and disruptions of water access could put 840 million people at risk," said former White House chief of staff John Podesta

  • With only 5 percent of the global population, the United States is responsible for over 25 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change, said Archbishop Desmond Tutu

  • The United States gives more money to international aid efforts than any other nation, noted former UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery Eric Schwartz, but, he added, it is also exacerbating poverty by contributing more to climate change than any other country.

  • Passing a cap-and-trade bill would force the U.S. president to approve the plan, which is opposed by many industry representatives, or face an angry electorate in 2008, said Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA). It is a political corner Markey said he hoped the president would be backed in to -- for the sake of the planet.

  • "These aren't 'the poor' -- they are people," evangelical pastor Joel Hunter added tearfully. "They love the same way we do, they grieve the same way we do. These are people."

Here's the whole story from OneWorld.