NEIDEEP

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

"You can fool some people sometimes, but you can't fool all the people all the time." Bob Marley

Although I plan to blog every day - or at least every week, it seems that paying the bills with my other writing gets in the way!

On the up side, we are planning a conference at Colby College on October 18, and I am working on putting that together - more details coming soon.

For now, here is a slightly edited version of my column on the G8 Summit that I sent to the Sun Chronicle. Perhaps my quote for the day should have been "the more things change, the more they stay the same." However, Bob Marley's version of another famous saying also seems to fit.

When I think back to the 2005 G8 Summit, I realize that the world leaders made those promises because millions of people were watching due to the Live8 concerts and publicity. I am more than disappointed that those promises have not been fulfilled. Indeed, the intent to assist those living in the most extreme conditions of poverty seems to have been a cause du jour for most of the world. The concert and tee shirts are distant memories, as are the promises made by the most powerful nations in the world. We are in worst shape now than 3 years ago. When will the pendulum swing back the other way?

...and from my column...

As the 2008 G8 Summit ended, few solutions to the global energy crisis, food crisis, climate change came about.

The original purpose of these summits was to discuss global economic issues, but in recent years, climate change, terrorism, energy and Africa became part of the agenda.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan hosted this year’s summit in Hokkaido, Japan. The Group of 8, or G8, consists of the leaders of the eight most industrialized nations in the world: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

For the second year in a row, climate change and the environment were to be the focus of the summit. However, the energy crisis and food crisis took the lead.

Following the turmoil of the 2007 summit, developing nations continue to demand that the eight most powerful industrial nations live up to the promises made during the 2005 summit to aid developing countries. Although the G8 said they would reevaluate current needs and live up to their promises, no short term solutions are on the horizon. Unfulfilled three-year-old promises make a strong statement to those suffering unbelievable poverty.

As to the food crisis, discussion ensued regarding the building up of a virtual world food bank for emergencies. For many developing nations, every day is an emergency, especially when the aid expected is 3 years overdue.

With the weakening dollar contributing the concern over the global economy, the 8 leaders could not reach an agreement on how to handle the fuel crisis, which many believe is due to the speculative market. During the last summit, the price for crude oil hit $70/per barrel - considered high at the time. Just last week, the price dropped over $10/per barrel due to the decline in US consumption.

Now, this drop is because of very small grassroots efforts - people like you and me are planning our errands to reduce the number of trips we make and/or just not going out. Imagine what would happen to the price of crude if our government got involved and lowered the speed limit on the interstates as Jimmy Carter did during the last big oil crisis.

In a strange turn of events from the past few years when President Bush refused to acknowledge the reality of green house effects and climate change, he organized a meeting of 16 nations to discuss these issues. Since no short-term goals effecting change came out of the summit, no progress is in the forecast. This meeting came about as news of the US government falsifying and editing scientific reports about these issues for the American public came to light.

China and India, the two developing countries emitting the most emissions, refused to sigh on to any agreements until the US and other major polluters, set the example in their own countries. The "do as I say, not as I do" example that our country sets is obviously not working for these countries experiencing their industrial growth. However, with some of the must polluted cities in the world, and athletes afraid of performing in Beijing, I hope China will start to set the example for us!

Perhaps the relevancy of the G8 Summit is coming to an end. How can a group of world leaders discuss the global economy and climate change without China sitting at the table as an equal partner? How can the developing countries take a group seriously that does not follow through on promises to assist with education, trade and disease? Why would the world follow the example of the US, when our leaders refused to accept that greenhouse emissions even existed and rewrote reports to reflect their beliefs, ignoring the facts?

When our president continues to deny that our country is in a serious economic crisis, how can we expect the other world leaders to give us much credence? Bush’s part in encouraging speculative markets in products like corn and soy, used for bio-fuel, as well as the oil market, continues to lead all but the very wealthy down the garden path to financial despair.

Perhaps the G8 needs to reinvent itself. Although discussions are great, in times of crisis, actions speak louder than words. In the past few years, no real action or change seems to happen – just more unfulfilled promises and endless talks, all at the expense of taxpayers and millions suffering around the world.

Peace -

Bonnie

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NEIDEEP at 7:11 AM