Every
year, eight men gather to determine the state of the
world for the following year.
The Group of 8 summit - this year's took place in
Scotland last week, concluding after the terrorist
attack on London - is an exclusive meeting for the
political leaders of eight of the world's most
industrialized, wealthy and powerful countries.
It is not a government institution, it has no
constitution or charter, and it has no permanent
secretariat or headquarters. The leaders of these
countries claim they gather in the interests of global
stability.
The G-8 began with six countries at a time of
significant global economic insecurity in the 1970s. The
membership has evolved over time to include the United
States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Russia, Canada and the president of the European Union.
The G-8 summits are not policy-making forums. They are
occasions for the leaders of these states to network and
build relationships, to discuss complex international
issues and to allow for a more powerful collective
response.
G-8 summits have always been a focus for protests and
counter-summits. Following People's Global Action's call
for a united global day of action in 1998, summit
protests have grown and strengthened, forcing the G-8 to
more remote locations with higher security costs.
This year, the G-8 met to discuss global warming,
extreme poverty and the AIDS crisis in Africa, just to
name a few.
The group ended its session agreeing to boost aid to
Africa and forgive the debts of several African nations.
However, President Bush wouldn't budge in his
opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, the international
agreement that sets targets for lowering greenhouse-gas
emissions. Other G-8 nations have ratified the
agreement, and this year China and India showed interest
in joining the discussions.
But the Bush administration is ignoring global
warming. And without the cooperation of America, the
biggest greenhouse-gas polluter, environmental
responsibility by the rest of the world will have little
to no impact on improving global air quality.
Budget cuts within the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and glaring reductions and eliminations of
longstanding environmental controls are examples of
Bush's priorities.
The future of the Earth doesn't seem to be important
to Bush unless there's some cash to be made. The rest of
the G-8 members are counting on the next administration
to rejoin the Kyoto Protocol.
Meanwhile, Mother Earth will have to suffer for
another three years. The question is whether China and
India - potentially big polluters in the future - will
follow America's disastrous lead. Let's hope not.
You can e-mail Barbara J. McKee at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.
Her column runs on Tuesdays.
