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JOHANNESBURG: There were five original themes for the summit: water, energy, health, agriculture and bio-diversity, but in a challenge to the White House the summit’s secretary general has produced a new list. It contains subjects the US does not want to talk about:
POPULATION: America’s fundamentalist right wing and the Vatican want this off the agenda. But the United Nations says population growth from the current six billion to eight billion by 2025 needs to be tackled.
CLIMATE CHANGE: This is a priority for developing countries, some of which are sinking under the waves, and the European Union is keen to discuss it.
ENERGY: Will focus on the 2.5 billion people without electricity, and how to promote renewables. The poorest people use wood, straw and dung to cook and heat. About 2.5 million women and children die from indoor air pollution as a result.
FRESH WATER; Nearly half the world’s people will experience water shortages by 2025. About 90 per cent of human water use is in agriculture. Everyone agrees this must be tackled.
HEALTH & WATER: A green light here from Washington, which is keen on the privatisation of water supplies in developing countries. Water-borne diseases kill more people than any other cause.
HEALTH & AIR POLLUTION: Something the US is good at. Acid rain and smog having been reduced in America but are causing serious problems in the developing world. Outdoor air pollution from traffic and industry kills three million people a year.
FORESTS: A problem unsolv-ed since Rio and getting worse. It is the developed countries that use the wood and mostly tropical forests that are being felled for agriculture. US forests have actually increased in 10 years so the White House is comfortable discussing this issue.
POVERTY & INEQUALITY: The US as the richest nation in the world is in the firing line for progressively cutting aid since Rio and insisting that assistance is dependent on allowing Ame-rican business unlimited access to markets. But inequality is greatest in developing countries.
FOOD & AGRICULTURE: The UN says developing countries are becoming net importers of grain and rich countries will need to expand production to feed the world. The US is keen to promote bio-technology. Agri-cultural subsidies to EU and US farmers are contentious, too.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.
