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How Do You Tell the Rich to Cut Down on Cars?

In June world leaders are to sign an Earth Charter and launch a plan of action to gave the planet It will happen at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. Central to the arguments there will be conservation of energy. The developing world, reports Gemini News Service, is asking why it should cut the use of energy when it does not have enough electricity for factories to produce basic goods.

by Niala Maharaj
AN old song In Trinidad goes: If you don't have money nowadays a dog Is better than you." This, according to many Third World governments. Is the theme of the talks leading up to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). to be held in June in Rio de Janeiro.
Many regard the so-called Earth Summit as a potential watershed in modern history, with the global community together deciding whether It Is to have a future or not.
The largest-ever number of world leaders will come together to sign an Earth Charter and launch a plan of action lo save the planet.
In March the final round of multilateral talks to draft the documents takes place at the UN in New York. If the three
earlier rounds arc anything lo go by the whole process Is unlikely to produce much result. So far they have merely become a ballleground — North v South, rich v poor.
At the last session In August in Geneva. Third World repre sentatives charged that UNCED is aimed at protecting endangered animal and plant species at the expense of one already suffering — homo sapiens.
The measures proposed — for reversing pollution and deforestation, halting climate change, limiting use of natural resources, restricting movement of hazardous wastes and controlling Industry — created outrage.
Why should we impose extra taxes on water consumption to conserve world supplies. they demanded, when half our populations are dying
of disease for lack of clean water.
Why should we cut the use of energy when we do not have enough electricity for factories to produce basic goods — and
none of us 1* wasting power blow-drying our hair? How can we tell our people not to clear forests to plant food?
European delegates tn Geneva knew that, for qncc.
the poor were on the offensive. Haunted by an environmen tally-conscious electorate, the Nordics, Germans and Dutch had to reach some accommodation with the delegates from Rwanda. Gabon and Malaysia who control vital bits of the planet's delicate eco-system.
So Dutch Ambassador Leon Mazaraic announced that the European Community was willing to trade environmental regulations for "development assistance." In other worlds. Cash.
The question then was; I low much and In what from? The Africans chorused "debt writeoff." The Europeans countered with "Increased aid" and "transfer of technology".
And everybody happily settled down to work out terms, some Third World governments willing to overlook ihe fact that any new assistance
would be swallowed up by structural trade arrangements.
But United States tradition would not allow Its delegates to play ball with upstarts crawling out from under
stones In countries whose names they cannot even pronounce.
"Open market." they began intoning at every session of the conference, whether to be on
oceans, forests, atmosphere, hazardous wastes, climate change or whatever "Transnational Industry is the best means of bringing clean technology and everlasting prosperity to the Third World."
Transnational Industry"? The poor countries wondered. Who do you think pushed the polluting Industry down our throats In the first place? Who told us that our good old peasant agriculture was obsolete and insisted we use pesticides?
"Who Is to blame?" Mexico's ambassador quoted a woman poet from his country, "She who sins because she 1s paid, or he who pays to sin?"
Everyone knew It was mere posturing. Just as Western politicians desperately need an agreement on climate change and global warming to forestall creeping green parties, so too
the Third World's must have some means of prising money out of the rich countries tn the post-Cold War era.
For rich Europe a few million. here and there will not hurt People there do not want to lose their privileged position just because somebody somewhere cannot stop cut-tlng down forests to grow
And with environment being so dear to the hearts of all those who have tost faith in God and anti-God and politics, Europeans are willing to make sacrifices for a place in the green heaven.
But In North America, where consumption is the mark of success, how do you tell people they should have smaller fridges and fewer cars? How to ask Rambo to ptease conserve bullets? And still hope to win an election.
There Is a glimmer of hope, however from large environmental lobbying groups around the world. And what has started as a stand-off between Third World groups and powerful Northern organisations like Greenpeace could turn into a meaningful dialogue on the relationship between North-South cconom<- arrangements and environmental degradation.
Mnny Northern environmentalists confess that they had never been exposed to these arguments before A good many seem convinced by them and humbled by ihe scientific expertise the Third World lobbyists bring with them.
These arc the people who have forced environmental issues on the global political agenda. They have a good deal of experience In lobbying and popularising ecological issues. Perhaps In the next few years their perspective will expand and begin to seep Into public discussion In the Industrialised world.
Perhaps. Just perhaps, there Is hope for the human race after ail. Probably nol by Ihc June summit, but. if God gives us the second chance we do not deserve, sometime tn the future.
However, as the Mexican Ambassador observed, "the cn-vlrbWtertt'fo' ho tongcf a longterm issuq. We cannot afford to fall this time." — Gemini News
Mala Mahara) Is a Cartbean-born freelance Journalist now living tn Amsterdam. A former editor of the Sunday edition of , Trinidad Express, she has contributed to. among others. Far Eastern Economic Review and South China Morning Post.