Bush Blocks Bid To Save Millions Of Lives (Barf)

Independent (UK) ^

[blam]

Bush blocks bid to save millions of lives

By Geoffrey Lean Environment Editor
02 June 2002

European governments have long suspected it. Environmentalists have long proclaimed it. But now there is clear evidence that President George Bush's environmental policy is indeed a load of crap.

For the United States is blocking an international plan to halve the number of people, two-fifths of the population of the planet, who have no sanitation. Some 2.4 billion people lack even a bucket for their wastes, and this is one of the main causes of world disease.

European and developing nations, meeting in Bali, Indonesia, want the world's leaders to agree to meet this target by 2015. They are proposing that the plan be put in front of the leaders when they meet for a new "Earth Summit" in Johannesburg in August.

The summit – officially called the World Summit for Sustainable Development – is to concentrate on the environmental problems faced by the world's poorest people. The Bali meeting, which is the final preparatory conference for the summit, is running into trouble, with the Bush administration, in the words of one top Whitehall source, being "very, very negative".

More than 2.2 million people – mainly children – die in the Third World every year from diseases caused by lack of sanitation and by dirty drinking water. The United Nations says that "the incidence of some illnesses and death could drop by as much as 75 per cent" if adequate clean water and sanitation were provided.

Margaret Beckett, the Secretary of State for the Environment, who is leading Britain's delegation to Bali, describes dealing with this issue as "absolutely key to any prospect of tackling poverty".

The US position is baffling the other countries at the conference because the Bush administration has already agreed a target of halving the number of people without clean drinking water by the same date – and this is seen as inseparable from solving the problem of sanitation. The British officials held a special meeting with the American delegation on Thursday, but did not receive any clear reason for their objection to the plan.

The clash over sanitation is only one of a range of issues holding up an agreement on a plan of action to present to the summit. Opec countries are opposing a plan – originating from an initiative by Tony Blair – to halve the number of people, currently two billion, without any modern sources of energy, mainly by tapping into renewable sources. And the US, Canada, Japan and Australia are objecting to European proposals to make energy consumption in developed countries more environmentally friendly.

Senior British ministers fear that if the Bali conference fails to reach agreement it will be hard for the Johannesburg summit to succeed – and the best chance of tackling world poverty in two decades will be lost for the indefinite future.

[Montfort]

Bush's opposition might be understood if the author would be honest enough explain what the sticking point is. Sure everyone is for better sanitation, but this conference is probably proposing something like bottled Evian water for everyone in the third world, with the bill sent the US taxpayers (at list price, too) or they will insist that the US pay for extremely expensive water treatment facilities throughout the world.

[Chairman Fred]

But - I thought the Enviros want to reduce the human population!

[Mike K]

"Some 2.4 billion people lack even a bucket for their wastes, ...

C'mon, we're not that mean! As long as they by buckets made in the US, they are entitled to sanitation.

[Mike Fieschko]

Bush's opposition might be understood if the author would be honest enough explain what the sticking point is.

That would, in most scenarios, require talking with the U.S. delegation. Everyone knows they have cooties.

[Demosthenes]

Maybe they just need to learn not to sh-t where they sleep....

[Queen of Excelsior]

This article is a load of crap. Where's the details? No mention of what the plan is or why the Bush administration objects. Maybe the author could use a little e-mail reminder that who,what, when, where and why are necessary for good journalism.

[BossLady]

"European and developing nations, meeting in Bali, Indonesia........when they meet for a new "Earth Summit" in Johannesburg in August. "

These people seem REAL SERIOUS about solving this problem. Bali...Jo-Berg.....They will be slumming it at the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton and.....I bet they have toilets,too....:o

[Howlin]

Did I miss something? What are our objections? And why is it up to US to give these countries clean water? Are we hoarding it somewhere?

[Howlin]

Thank you. I thought I had finally lost my mind. Have we come to this, just SAYING that Bush is wrong and not having to print what it is?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Pretty weak stuff. Perhaps if these people lived where they could vote, own property and had a fair crack at getting ahead, they'd build their own sewers and buy toilet paper.

[dighton]

Some 2.4 billion people lack even a bucket for their wastes, and this is one of the main causes of world disease.

Which is our fault, if we're to believe this knucklehead.

[dighton]

Have we come to this, just SAYING that Bush is wrong and not having to print what it is?

He's automatically at fault. DUH!!!!!

[Howlin]

See, this saves a LOT of time, doesn't it? And with all the Bush bashers right here on FR, doing the job of the Democrats, the Europeans and the Dems will have even more time to NOT find things that Bush did, just like this article!

[kaylar]

I'm guessing that what the problem is is this plan will require yet another gigantic UN program and alphabet soup agency, which would not only be responsible for the plan's implementation in the Third World, it would also have many 'fine print' ways and means to interfere with internal US water usage, plant buildings,energy usage etc. Another antisovereignty UN power grab on our tax dollars, to add insult to injury.

[IronJack]

Some 2.4 billion people lack even a bucket for their wastes ...

Can they dig a hole in the ground?

And when did America become Plumbers to the World? Does the poem at the base of Lady Liberty mention anything about sending us "your poor, your constipated, your incontinent?"

I know! Let's take up a collection and buy them all buckets!

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I just knew it was all his fault. Darn it.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

"Calling all Keyman's, calling all Keyman's. Be on the lookout for a scoundrel about to wipe out the entire planet and make off like a bandit. last seen riding into the sunset holding Hillary's hand"

[Naked Lunch]

I think we should just explain that we cannot help the problem because there's a hole in the bucket. And everyone knows that to fix the hole in the bucket, we'll need to patch it. With a plug of wood, for which we'll have to chop down a tree, with an axe, which we'll have to sharpen, with a honing stone, which we'll have to wet, with some water, which we'll have to fetch, with a bucket... but we can't cause there's a hole in the....

[Grig]

Soooooooooooooo, in other words, Third world polution is killing more people right now than all of America's polution is. That was the point you wanted to make, right?