Saving Humanity from Itself:

A Response from the Powers that Be

WHY CARL (OR GIVL A DAMN)?
lIS1ORIC RLSPONSIBILI1\ - the deeloped world bears the lion`s share o responsibility
or creating and in many cases, perpetuating, poerty, resource exploitation, inequality and strie
through class, religious and ethnic diisions, etc in the deeloping world, oer centuries o
oppression, colonialism, and neo-colonialism ,through the ery systems that claim to alleiate
poerty, namely the \1O,IMl,\orld Bank,the \ashington Consensus and their structural
adjustment programs, etc - eg, the Slae 1rade, western colonies in India, China, the
Philippines, Latin America, Arica

1he \est`s seemingly intractable ixation on ossil uels and a wasteul, illogical, oer-
expansionary consumerist economic system-cum-.ociet, that places the accumulation o proit and
capital aboe all other concerns - both rooted in the Industrial Reolution, hae led to the
Lcological Crisis and a widening gap between rich and poor Climate Change is already impacting
ood production and security in the deeloping world - namely people least responsible or it to
begin with ,ie amine in the lorn o Arica, droughts in Russia, China, Brazil, major looding in
Pakistan, Colombia, the Philippines, 1hailand, etc, etc 1he third world will ace more extreme
and erratic weather, drought, ood shortages, rising seas leels, worsening poerty, alling
biodiersity alongside a growing human population, and other as yet untold symptoms o a
ailing ecosystem, economy, and society in the years to come

2 PLACL & SLCURI1\ - reducing poerty through sustainable deelopment and other means is
critical to ensuring international peace and stability 1he worst conlicts in human history -
indeed, the worst o humanity - hae almost always emerged out o economic crises and the
pursuit o scarce resources eg, the wars o Ancient Greece and Rome, colonialism, the Great
Depression, oil in the Middle Last, etc Already, reugees leeing rom Arica ,drien out by inter-
ethnic conlict, political pressure, poerty and amine in search o better lies in Lurope are
pressuring local populations o the latter, sparking anti-immigration and other discriminatory
laws, oten rom the right wing

1errorist networks and other extremist groups typically arise out o opposition to real or
perceied oppression rom goernments and systems that ail to proide or or act on the
interests o their own people 1hese moements oten rally support or their cause in poerty-
stricken regions o states characterized by rampant inequality and corruption In the case o the
Philippines, the increasingly alienated pockets o Mindanao, separated or centuries rom the
more mainstream` lispanic, Christianized regions o Luzon and Visayas

It is in eeryone`s interest to ensure that eeryone has equitable and sustainable access to basic
needs and a decent standard o liing

3 L1lICS,COMMON SLNSL ,apparently not so common- amp up deelopment eorts and
end poerty simply because it`s the right thing to do and it can be done 1oo many ail to realize
that maintaining our` ,the deeloped world`s and the upper,middle classes in general standard
o liing irtually depends on the exploitation o the deeloping world and the planet we and
uture generations all depend on, eg an obsession on economic growth at the expense o social
equity and ecological sustainability, outsourcing or cheap labour, unair trade, inancial
speculation, enironmental racism, pollution, dumping trash, resource exploitation: oil,
deorestation, mining, L1C 1he powerul still capitalize on the suering o the masses Lie up
to the Declaration o luman Rights that is now, increasingly, being rendered meaningless. or at
least end the charade

Or dare we choose to stay trapped in the bubble o our own egotistic, selish, shallow little
worlds o Prada, McDonalds, M1V and Lady Gaga Beat back selish indiidualism,
consumerism, materialism At some point we hae to ,e v ,3/ .vett tbe tbor3.. there are
staring kids out there worth ininitely more than a corporation`s proit margins or a new pair o
shoes proudly made in a laitian sweatshop, plus child labour 1he System is bust 1he world
cries out or a return,an adance toward what we once called lreedom, both or others and or
ourseles
HOW?
AID - Aid alone won`t work Redeine aid` Deelopment eorts should be directed toward
long-term strategies and programmes that enhance sel-reliance in deeloping countries 1reat aid
recipients as partners rather than mere ictims`, ater all, poerty exists een in the deeloped
world Promote a bottom-up, ersus top-down, approach to community deelopment - oster
grassroots community organization, etc

IN1LRNA1IONAL POLIC\, RLLA1IONS- set priorities straight Redistribute economic
and political power \e`re stuck in a rut.rethink existing institutions, structures that perpetuate
poerty, inequity, and ecological deastation Pardon all oreign debt Jubilee year

Lay down an efficie3t international system Improe, deelop, strengthen, support the United
Nations and other NGO`s,IGO`s Deelop new programmes to promote social and economic
equity and sustainable deelopment and,or adaptation to Climate Change Strengthen ciil
society, ortiy and ,ct o3 global agreements - eg, Robin lood 1ax, Durban Climate Summit,
Occupy moement, Rio -20 etc

Cut back on Military Lxpenditures \hat the world spends on weapons can potentially end
world hunger and send eery child on the planet to school till graduation day, L1C

2 1RADL - that is trvt, ree and air lree` not just or the irst world - urther lower trade
barriers to allow exports rom the deeloping world Allow or greater transparency and
accountability in cross-border inance Subsidize agriculture and other deelopment eorts that
are preerably small-scale, local and organic, in deeloping countries Lnd ood speculation
,drien by inestors that leads to luctuating prices in the world ood market
RLILRLNCLS
globalissuesorg, stwrorg, irinnewsorg, bbccouk, Ll Schumacher`s $v,tt i. e,vtifvt, Duncan
Green`s rov Porert, to Poer; bulatlatcom, pcijorg, K,-,t,,3 .rti.t, ,r, ., 1v3,, 3, K,t,,,,3 , ,,,3
Mv3,, C,-riet,, Amnesty International, Global \itness, Oxam International, Greenpeace, UNDP,
UNLP, UN luman Deelopment Report 20. L1C.
- CJ Chanco