Promising the earth, delivering little

By ALISTER DOYLE in Johannesburg

They flew around the world in pollution-spewing jets, ate expensive food in Africa where many go hungry, and worked out a plan to "Save the Planet".

But experts say a blueprint by the widely maligned negotiators at Johannesburg's Earth Summit will not radically change the world. It may, however, help a bit.

Negotiators representing about 190 nations aimed to help halve poverty by 2015 by promoting environmentally friendly economic growth which does not repeat the polluting mistakes caused by 200 years of industrialisation in the rich West.

But many delegates believe the worthy new targets set in Johannesburg, such as halving the proportion of people who lack sanitation or restoring depleted fish stocks by 2015, will fail to be fully implemented.

Friends of the Earth gave the summit a "must do better" rating.

From presidents to prime ministers, leaders said the key now would be to implement the deals, brushing aside criticisms of a gargantuan text which includes few pledges of new cash to help the developing world.

And many criticised it as hot air.

In some key areas such as promoting clean energy like wind and solar power, it lacks targets.

Even politicians are sceptical that summits with an agenda spanning water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity as part of an assault on poverty can achieve much.

"We deal with everything and there is a risk at the end of the day that it means nothing," said Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, whose country holds the European Union's rotating presidency.

But United Nations goals agreed by world leaders in 2000, including halving poverty by 2015, are already lagging in many nations.

About 1.2 billion people, or a fifth of humanity, live on less than $2 a day.

The UN says the problems could probably all be fixed if rich nations gave more aid. Handouts now total about US$54 billion ($116 billion) a year - or about US$67 ($114) per person from rich nations.

And many agreements from a landmark first Earth Summit 10 years ago in Rio de Janeiro have not been properly followed up - notably a deal to curb global warming, which US President George W. Bush undermined last year.

But others say the very fact that world leaders can sit down together - something unthinkable during the Cold War - to address issues of poverty or pollution is a giant leap forward.

Eric Phillips, a Guyana delegate, said: "You cannot measure the value of this summit by the documents it produces. There is a lot of discussion, a lot of negotiation, a lot of friendships are made."

That is, many say, a modest step. Yet big strides have been made - average life expectancy has jumped worldwide by more than six years to 66.6 since the 1970s. Child mortality and poverty have also been cut.

Still, even delegates in Johannesburg have not been pulling their weight. A fund set up with UN backing to help foster environmental projects to offset the pollution the summit caused has attracted scant donations.

The summit is expected to produce 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas blamed for global warming. But the Climate Legacy project says counter-initiatives will account for only 15,000 tonnes.



And delegates have been widely criticised for driving around in luxury cars or eating sumptuous meals in a gleaming part of Johannesburg just 8km from some of South Africa's worst slums.

"Even though a lot of people in Bombay say, 'Oh, you just want to travel to an international conference and talk a lot', talking is important," said Rishi Aggarwal, co-founder of the Mangrove Society of India. "Maybe this will be seen as an historic event five years down the road."

But many wonder if the money could be better spent.

"This summit and all the preparations probably cost the world a billion dollars: it would have been better spent buying 500 million solar cookers," said Deling Wang, head of the non-governmental organisations' energy caucus.

She said the $4 solar cookers - silver reflectors mounted on cardboard - could save 500 million Third World families from foraging for a tonne of firewood each a year and prevent millions of cases of smoke-related diseases from fires.

- REUTERS

Johannesburg Summit