Who says I'm talking just about the 3rd world? Poverty exists everywhere in every nation. Everyone keeps asking the question why can't we wipe out poverty in rich countries? As long as people without any resources keep having kids they can't take care of themselves poverty continues. I am first to admit I don't have answers. But as a society there are certain subjects that we should approach with more of a long term game theory concept as cold as that sounds.

Game theory suggests no one should ever pay off a kidnapper for the good of society as a whole. If kidnappers knew they would never be payed or allowed to extort through that method, then less kidnapping would occur. In the countries most likely to pay off, kidnapping has become an industry.

We have whole systems of well meaning people that make it pay off for poor people to have kids, while lower middle class are penalized. And I get tired of the government statistics and guilt trips that keep getting layed on more well off people for not "giving enough" to supplement poor people having kids. I understand and applaud those on the front lines who give of themselves to help the less fortunate. But the long term affects of some of the kinds of help is fuzzy. Enabling an addict can seem to be a kindness, but may in fact do harm by delaying the inevitable (facing the addiction). Missionaries I believe have done much good thoughout the world, but those that have steadfastly condemned birth control are creating their own environment.

If it was easy we would already have struck down many human miseries like drug addiction, but obviously we as human beings keep making bad choices. I'm just saying much of the problem of poverty is the product of bad choices of poor people now that knowledge and access to birth control is widespread.

Personally I beilieve we should legalize drugs, and use taxation of drug products to mitigate (treat) the problems they cause instead of criminalizing it. Just as that is a different approach to drug usage, I think there are opportunities for different approaches to slowing the poverty cycle. Adults of free will should not be benefited from having kids of which they cannot take care. While I wouldn't want the authoritarian model of China, if does show if strong enough discincentives are in place the birth rate can be brought down. If within our constitutional republic we could find legal disincentives (and incentives for opposite behavior) it might interrupt or slow the poverty cycle benefiting many generations to come. And if we has the human race could ever figure out that the resources spent towards war and destruction could be put to better use maybe we would be on our way to a better world. But that utopia doesn't seem possible with the same systems of governance that have commanded us since the beginning.

Well really, this an endlessly complicated subject that really doesn't belong on this forum.
Back to the real subject--how about some sort of cheap replacement for cooking fires--that both denude the ground and put carbon soot into the air. I do believe there has been some advances in enclosed stove technology as well. We should probably be shipping them coal and some efficient coal fired stoves, just so they wouldn't have to use wood.