UN Mounts Asteroid Defense Plan Following Chelyabinsk Meteor

Philip Ross writes "Astronomers have warned that our planet is long overdue for a defense plan against catastrophic asteroid collisions. When it comes to deflecting Earth-obliterating celestial bodies, short of a superhero capable of punching the approaching rock back into outer space, there is no single force dedicated to stopping cosmic bullies from striking our little blue planet straight in the eye. That's why the United Nations said it will establish an International Asteroid Warning Group to intercept and divert dangerous asteroids."

Comments

Deflection

[Thanshin]

Because nothing is as effective at deflecting tons of rock coming towards Earth at extremely high speeds as... a committee.

Re:Priorities?

[palemantle]

And here's the same tired old argument that we see when a third world country plans a satellite launch. Oh noes ... they don't have enough toilets ... and while they are sorting that, they should just sit around for the next couple of hundred years doing nothing else!

The UN does have specific hunger and poverty eradication goals and organizations that look into those issues. See these:
http://www.unicef.org/mdg/poverty.html
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/poverty.shtml

That doesn't mean the UN shouldn't have unrelated committees/arms investigating other issues and see if something can be done to address those.

And the WHO is....

[Ellis D. Tripp]

...an agency of the UNITED NATIONS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization