Leaders from the world's industrialized nations are gathering this month in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the annual G8 summit: Hardly seems a year since the whole gang was last together, and isn't the world a different place for their efforts?
What? Haven't seen much difference? Indeed, for all the brainpower and resources gathered each year at these events, there seems to be a dearth of truly enlightened change.
True, since 2005, Africa — the focus of last year's Gleneagles summit — has gotten some long overdue attention and assistance, largely through debt forgiveness and grants (often overlapping on the books). But that's Friday-morning-conference-call material. Overall, the G8's game plan on Africa with regard to poverty, AIDS and trade has been played out to mixed results. Seems to us, the combined concerns of the world's wealthiest leaders could amount to something of more substance, such as truly modifying markets and cutting Northern nations' subsidies that deny Africa's economy any real chance at fair trade and independence. But that's just us.
This year, there is yet another opportunity to forge a revolutionary policy model, this time around energy. For obvious reasons, energy security is expected to be a major focus of the summit, with talk of sourcing alternatives to fossil fuels. It is truly a global issue that demands and warrants the world's concerted focus.
Global warming, dependence on volatile governments and environmental devastation are all tied to the world's obsessive addiction to oil. The United States economy, from cars to construction to consumption, relies pitifully on oil. This dependence affects everyone, but it especially hurts the poor, whose margin of financial error teeters on homelessness, poor health and morbidity. Resources spent propping up the auto industry and waging war to protect oil interests are sapping hundreds of billions of dollars from our local economies. It's siphoning aid out of New Orleans and prescription assistance from the elderly. It's threatening the future of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, and, for that matter, the future of our environment. It's also money and energy diverted from creating real systemic change in our energy structure, economy and social services, and supporting emerging technologies and the next industrial revolution.
To mixed reviews, the leading alternative proposed by President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin is nuclear fuel, which in the realm of global peace seems even more volatile than oil. Economically, it makes sense for the U.S. and Russia — they already have the capacity to produce atomic energy and the influence to keep others from getting started under fear of weapons proliferation. Seems we would be trading one militarized energy program for another. In the meantime, there are talks underway to expand oil dependence in emerging markets in Russia, which will make some people a lot of money. We doubt if any of them are wearing camouflage in Iraq right now.
There is a lot of potential with every meeting of the G8. And then there's the chance for real leadership. Let's hope they surprise us this year.