[A-List] The five key issues

[Mark Jones <markjones011@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The five key issues

Can the earth summit achieve anything? Talk about it here or email us at
letters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Worldview: Earth summit special

Sunday August 18, 2002
The Observer

Water supply
What are the current problems?
More than 1.1 billion people still rely on unsafe water. Nearly three
billion - half the world's population - do not have adequate sanitation. Up
to 30,000 people die every day from water-related illnesses with 300m
people suffering each year from acute malaria, the main water-related
diseases.
Will the summit make a difference?
Plans are on the table to halve the number of people without water by 2015
with similar targets for sanitation.
What if the talks fail?
Predictions suggest that by 2025 around half the world's population will
live in areas facing severe water shortages. The health implications are
catastrophic while armed conflict over dwindling water resources,
particularly in the Middle East, will become an increasing threat.
Ecosystem protection
What are the current problems?
World forests declined by around 90,000 sq km a year during the 1990s. Half
of the world's rivers are polluted and 11,000 species are threatened with
extinction.
Will the summit make a difference?
Agreements have been reached on protecting forests and over-fishing.
However, tackling poverty and environmental degradation is widely viewed as
the solution.
What if the talks fail?
Devastation of the planet's natural resources and ecosystems will continue,
with the decline in valuable habitats such as coral reefs and the number of
species extinct increasing.
Corporate accountability
What are the current problems?
Voluntary controls to monitor big business do not appear to be working.
Food production subsidies in the US and EU ensure developing nations cannot
compete.
Will the summit make a difference?
Tighter, legally-binding controls would help ensure accountability.
Existing farming subsidies could be scrapped, allowing a level playing
field for producers throughout the world.
What if the talks fail?
The risk of further pollution incidents remains. Economic development in
the developing nations remains severely hindered.
Energy
What are the current problems?
Two billion people are without mains electricity supply, and there is
little use of clean energy - solar, wave and wind power.
Will the summit make a difference?
Agreements may be struck to fund and encourage a shift from fossil fuel
reliance to renewable energy in parts of Africa and Asia where people are
not connected to the mains supply. This will be one of the key tests of
whether the summit is a success.
What if the talks fail?
Environmental disaster looms as trees are chopped down for firewood,
leading to increased erosion, silting of rivers, flooding and the most
pressing issue of all - global warming.
Aid distribution
What are the current problems?
An estimated 1.2 billion people live on less than 70p a day. Yet the rich
are getting richer, the poor poorer.
Will the summit make a difference?
No new major aid packages are likely to be announced at the summit, but new
money has been agreed during earlier talks. The EU is committed to
increasing aid as long as nations prove they are developing sustainably.
What if the talks fail ?
Packages already agreed are guaranteed, and there is the opportunity to
agree new, improved long-term aid targets based on certain conditions.
Following the Rio summit, only Denmark increased its foreign aid
performance while the US halved its contribution.