It often goes under the radar of overloaded North Americans, the more developed nations give a great deal more of direct and indirect aid to foreign nations. Much of the development has taken the form of sustainable development initiatives. This invaluable source of money has really improved the lives of many people throughout the world when human suffering would otherwise foment conflict.

While some efforts are more effective than others, the concepts of sustainable development have been brought to some of the poorest places on Earth, thanks to the wealthier nations. While some may argue that it’s paying bargain basement prices for the luxury of using resources and wealth that could be shared more equally, such nations may be better equipped to handle a resource poor future than the developed nations that funded the aid in the first place.