“Continued climate change will impact the poor most”

Rising sea levels from unchecked carbon emissions could drive more than 100 million people into extreme poverty and submerge the homes of over half a billion. The reports have been released ahead of the United Nation's 21st annual global conference on climate change -- known as COP21. Climate change is a pressing threat to the poor and any climate stabilization policies must be integrated with efforts to eliminate poverty. A study found that rising global temperatures stand to push more than 100 million people into extreme poverty in the next 15 years, with sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia most at risk. Climate-related "shocks" are already impeding efforts to reduce poverty, according to the report, particularly through crop losses, food price shocks and other impacts on agriculture, which is the main source of income for most poor families. Climate change also increases the risk of waterborne diseases and the transmission of malaria, with a warming of 2 to 3°C likely to put an extra 150 million people at risk for malaria. "The report demonstrates that ending poverty and fighting climate change cannot be done in isolation -- the two will be much more easily achieved if they are addressed together," said a World Bank senior economist who led the research report team. Sportswear giant Adidas announced Thursday that it would offer free design resources and financial assistance to any high schools that want to change their logo or mascot from Native American imagery or symbolism. Adidas made this announcement at the Tribal Nations Conference, where leaders of Native American culture come each year to discuss community change and acceptance. "Sports have the power to change lives," Adidas executive board member Eric Liedtke said in a statement. "Sports give young people limitless potential. Young athletes have hope, they have desire and they have a will to win. Importantly, sports must be inclusive. Today we are harnessing the influence of sports in our culture to lead change for our communities.” Approximately 2,000 high schools in the U.S. use names that "cause concern for many tribal communities," according to the company's statement. President Obama praised the effort by Adidas, and added that "a certain sports team in Washington might want to do that as well.” The team's owner (Washington Redskins), Dan Snyder, has vowed never to change the team's name.

In Other News Black football players at the University of Missouri have joined calls demanding the ouster of the University president over alleged inaction against racism on campus. About 30 players made their thoughts known Saturday night. The players' move is the latest salvo in a spiraling debate over the experiences of African-American students at Missouri, who have complained of inaction on the part of school leaders in dealing with racism on the overwhelmingly white campus. One student is on a hunger strike demanding action. This year's holiday season red cups at Starbucks have stirred up critics who accuse the company of waging a war on Christmas. Starbucks said it removed "symbols of the season" used in the past, which have included reindeer and ornaments, in favor of a simple, two-toned red cup. When the cups rolled out in late October, Starbucks vice president Jeffrey Fields said the company "wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.” The cup is meant to be a "blank canvas" that encourages "customers to tell their Christmas stories in their own way," Starbucks said.