Friday, July 11, 2008 Editorials: Hope high during two summits
EIGHT highly advanced nations met in a summit in Rusutsu, Japan.
Japan made it a point to make the site environmentally friendly, even going to the extent of using blocks of snow to cool some summit venues.
The talks, however, failed to bridge differences with the poor nations.
The most powerful and highly industrialized nations had reportedly vowed “to act to bring down soaring oil and food prices.”
The meeting had invited leaders of growing emerging economies such as China and India for a special summit session on
global warming.
They called for efforts to bring down oil prices.
Food, oil crises
The Group of Eight (G-8) nations “which together account for two-thirds of the world’s gross domestic products,” said in a statement that while global growth had moderated, still they are positive on the future.
US President George W. Bush claimed the summit was very productive, “with very significant success.”
However, while G-8 nations were spewing optimism, in Kuala Lumpur, Eight Developing Nations (D-8) of the Islamic bloc held a parallel summit and claimed that the on-going food and oil crises are grave threats to global peace and security.
They called for boosting world food production and finding a permanent solution “to (the) skyrocketing oil prices” pointing to the problems as grave threats.
During the meeting, the Malaysian prime minister said that it may soon become necessary for the D-8 nations to “come out with a clear message on the need to boost food production in the world.”
Global warming
During the G-8 three-day summit that ended last Wednesday, the leaders devoted most of their time “on global warming” fearing that rising temperatures may cause carbon emissions threatening entire species of plants and animals.
The Japanese prime minister said “there’s a need to improve transparency on the oil market” and revealed a G-8 call “on all countries to end export restrictions on food export.”
In a sense, the G-8 and D-8 have just presented Planet Earth’s inhabitants with what they are up against in the coming years.
The G-8 points at a future that calls for optimism and positive action.
The D-8 views our contemporary global condition from the eyes of an expectant hopeful people.
