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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on February 19th, 2010 from: Prof. Jinyue Yan The International Conference on Applied Energy (ICAE) looks set to become a truly integrated forum on research, development and application of energy technology and policy. ICAE2010 aims to facilitate debate on a wide range of topics under the theme, “Energy Solutions for a Sustainable World”. Besides the usual technical presentations and posters, the Conference will feature a number of keynote lectures and special focused sessions incorporating panel discussions and Q and A sessions. We invite specialists from all over the world to come and share experiences and contribute towards building the framework for sustainable development in the 21st century. As authors proceed to develop the full papers for the conference, I wish to inform all that a selection of the papers presented at ICAE2010 will be reviewed for publication in a special issue of Applied Energy and a number of other international peer-reviewed journals. In addition, best paper awards will be presented at the Conference. International Conference on Applied Energy, April 21-23, 2010, Singapore CONFERENCE TOPICS Renewable and Green Energy Resources and Technologies Energy Conservation in Buildings Advanced Energy Technologies Energy Systems for Power Generation Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development Please visit at www.icae2010.org for your registration to attend the conference. Professor J. Yan Editor-in-Chief of Elsevier Int. Journal, Applied Energy
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on January 12th, 2010 Singapore Pares Emission Cut Plans After Copenhagen. Reuters, 12-Jan-10. SINGAPORE – Singapore said on Monday it will go ahead with existing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but further pledged reductions will depend on a successful agreement in global climate talks. Environment Minister Yaacob Ibrahim told parliament Singapore would start implementing energy efficiency measures announced last year that would cut emissions by 7-11 percent on business as usual levels by 2020. This would be below a 16 percent cut that Singapore pledged just ahead of U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen last month, which aimed to agree on a global pact but instead ended with a non-binding accord far short of its original goals. “When a global agreement on climate change is reached we will implement the additional measures to achieve the full 16 percent reduction below business as usual in 2020,” he said. Environmentalists said they hoped countries would not lower voluntary targets to cut back emissions given the absence of a global accord, which negotiators are still aiming to reach in another round of talks scheduled for November 2010 in Mexico. “I haven’t seen evidence of it becoming a trend yet, but I hope it will not become a trend.” Wealthy city-state Singapore, with one of the world’s best living standards in terms of GDP per capita, has come under fire from environmentalists who point to its energy-intensive economy and high per-capita emissions. Singapore aims to spur economic growth by increasing its population and attracting further manufacturing investment, which will make cutting absolute emissions difficult, a problem faced by many developing nations unwilling to sign up to legally binding cuts. As part of the Copenhagen accord, developing nations need to put their voluntary national pledges on a global list by the end of January. Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on December 21st, 2009
By Matthew Russell Lee of the Inner City Press. UNITED NATIONS, December 17 — In the months leading to the Copenhagen climate talks, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon veered back and forth between reading out specific statements on how the deal should be sealed and saying it is up to member states, the UN is just the venue. Then he and his advisors including Janos Pasztor and top humanitarian John Holmes announced that $10 billion for adaptation — or reparations — to developing countries would be enough, or “a good start.” Inner City Press asked each of these three about the African Union’s much higher figure and threat to walk out. Each was to varying degrees dismissive. Now with the Danish police pepper spraying demonstrators in the street, along with a crowd of UN accredited but excluded reporters, representatives of non governmental organizations and even some UN personnel, the mainstream media coverage turns negative and Ban urges poor countries to stop pointing fingers. He also, at least according to them, has inappropriately accepted not only the developed countries’ $10 billion figure, but now their two degree Celsius temperature rise cap, versus the 1.5 degree figure.
In New York, Inner City Press has asked Ban’s spokesman about each of these. On December 15, Inner City Press asked Inner City Press: I just want to follow up on Copenhagen. Do you have any, a large number of us have received the complaints of people who were there, who went yesterday and were unable, both journalists and NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and even some UN staff, were unable to get into the building. And they seemed to say that the UN accredited 45,000 people, even though only 15,000 could fit in the building. If that’s true, why would the UN have done that? Spokesperson Nesirky: Two things, the figure I’ve heard is not 45,000 but 34,000. That’s still a lot of people, absolutely. Inner City Press: The same question. Spokesperson: Yes, the same question. As I understand it, and as we’ve heard from Copenhagen, they have a system to try to rotate the number of people going into the building, because, obviously, they’re over capacity. Part of it is also, it’s not just NGOs, it’s journalists as well. There are large numbers. And as I’ve said here before, it clearly demonstrates the considerable interest there is in this event and in having access to this event. As for why there was an over-accreditation, I would refer you to the organizers, actually the UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change], who are actually on the ground organizing this, and they have a media team there who I’m sure could help you with that. On December 16, Ban’s spokesman Martin Nesirky answered I was asked yesterday about the delays in accessing the Bella Centre in Copenhagen, that’s obviously where the UN Conference on Climate Change is taking place. The United Nations regrets the long delays today for people wishing to gain access or pick up accreditation, and is doing all it can to alleviate further delays. And more than 45,000 people did indeed apply to attend the Conference. And an overwhelming number of those who applied actually arrived on Monday. This is what caused the congestion in the area outside the UN venue, which is under the control of the Danish police, and also long delays at the UN accreditation counters. The access to the venue for NGOs will continue to be controlled by the quota system that I mentioned to allow balanced access by various NGO groups. And the NGO representatives are given over half of the capacity of the Bella Centre, and that’s more than ever for a climate change conference. As of tomorrow, only NGO organizations that have the secondary badges will be able to enter the Bella Centre. And the Danish Government and the Danish NGO Network are organizing an alternative venue for NGOs who can’t get into the Bella Centre over the next two days. Inner City Press asked two more questions: Inner City Press: I want to ask you about two things that the Secretary-General said in Copenhagen; maybe you can clarify them. One was, he said that the goal is to cap temperature rise at 2° C, and small island States and other participants, Member States of the United Nations, had set their goal at 1.5° C. So, I guess they’re wondering where he came up with the 2° C number. Maybe you can clarify if that really is what he thinks should happen? And also he was quoted as saying that Kenya should lobby to make UNEP [the United Nations Environment Programme] in Nairobi the global environmental agency. You, know, France has a separate proposal that created a new agency. I’m wondering, does that indicate that he doesn’t support France’s proposal or what does it indicate? Spokesperson Nesirky: Okay, on the first one, on the temperature rise, he’s made public comments on this, which we distributed this morning. The bottom line is that he has said if it’s possible to get to 1.5° C, that’s great. But if it’s not, then it’s important to have a deal that everybody can sign up to. That’s what he’s said. But I would refer you to his remarks so that you could read them in detail. On the UNEP idea, I will need to follow up on that. Inner City Press: Just one follow-up on that, because in his press conference before he went on the trip, I think he was asked, somebody said, “What ideas are you taking to Copenhagen?” And he said that’s not his role. It’s up to the Member States to negotiate. So, I’m just wondering, I think that’s why people have this question about coming out with a 2° C number. It seems like more than leaving it up to Member States. Do you see what I’m saying? That seems to be inconsistent with what he said before he left. Spokesperson: I don’t see any inconsistency there. He’s been consistent in saying that, yes, he has an honest broker role, but he also has firm convictions, strong convictions, about what is happening with climate change and his role in ensuring that everybody can come to the table and sign a deal. I would refer you to the remarks he made this morning, which are fairly explicit about the numbers. And and Ban’s number is now two degrees Celsius, a figure never agreed to by developing countries. They think the UN is or is supposed to be their venue. But not anymore, it seems. ————————– By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, December 10 — In the run up to the Copenhagen climate change conference, Inner City Press on December 4 asked UN climateer Janos Pasztor how many UN system staff, officials and consultants would be traveling to Denmark, with what carbon footprint. Pasztor said it wouldn’t be known until the conference began. On December 10, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky finally answered the question, or part of it. He said that the Copenhagen conference has among its participants 477 people from the UN Secretariat and 309 from 19 specialized agencies and related organizations. That is, 786 people from the UN. But does this include consultants? And what is the carbon footprint and will it be offset? Nesirky did however answer two questions Inner City Press asked on December 10, after an ill attended noon briefing held at the same time as a media stakeout by U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice. Inner City Press asked if Ban Ki-moon is aware of the request that the coup leader of Madagascar not be allowed to participate in the Copenhagen conference, just as he was barred from speaking before the General Assembly in September. Nesirky answered, “As for Madagascar, it is scheduled to speak on next Wednesday 16 December, sometime after 6 p.m., so they seem to have been invited.” But what about the request that, as at the UN General Debate in September, they be disinvited? On December 8, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon Inner City Press: Has Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, has he indicated to you – we’ve heard that you’ve spoken to him weekly by videoconference – he represents the African Union. Is the $10 billion enough? They threatened to walk out if not sufficient funds were committed. What’s you stance on how that issue’s going to play out? SG: As you know I, together with Prime Minister [Lars Løkke] Rasmussen [of Denmark], have been engaging in weekly videoconferences with major stakeholders on climate change – particularly the representatives of the most vulnerable countries, including the African Union and small island developing countries. We are going to continue to do that, as we did in Trinidad and Tobago. Now the idea of short-term fast-track financial support is supported by developing countries. We had a very in-depth discussion on this issue during our Commonwealth summit meeting in Trinidad and Tobago. As you know the 53-Member State Commonwealth adopted a consensus declaration where this financial support – fast-track support – was agreed by all the Member States, including a provision that 10% of this $10 billion will be provided to small island developing countries. So the Commonweath agreed — but has the African Union? Inner City Press asked Ban’s top humanitarian John Holmes on December 10, but he said he hadn’t been involved in setting the $10 billion figure. So who was?
Inner City Press also asking about the block on participation by Taiwan, which is a major industrial emitter. Nesirky answered only that “Taiwan is not a party to the UNFCCC.” But why not? Would the UN want a major source of emission like Taiwan to participate? The answer, of course, in China, a senior diplomat of which told Inner City Press a good joke on Thursday. He noted that U.S.’ Susan Rice had been harsh against Iran in that morning’s Council meeting. She has to play to the electorate, he said, just as Iran’s teetered regime tries to strengthen its power by being ever more hard-line. The Chinese diplomat said, “This is the problem with democracy.” And then he laughed. Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 27th, 2009 South East Asia and climate change. Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) and former chairman of Singapore National Energy Agency There is also the risk of rising sea level and increasing temperatures. A recently released report from the Asian Developing Bank (ADB) shows that South East Asia is likely to suffer more from climate change than elsewhere in the world. There will be considerable economic costs too, with a projected 7-8 per cent lost in GDP, unless climate change is addressed. The date for COP15 in Copenhagen is rapidly approaching and nations worldwide are going to great lengths to reach a consensus on a new climate agreement. However, after the Barcelona meetings earlier this month, it seems that the negotiations have not progressed so far that a new legal framework will be ready for Copenhagen. A realistic outcome will probably be a political framework which can form the basis for future negotiations on the post-Kyoto treaty. South East Asian countries, including Singapore, need to think about their position on the international stage. We all see the need to bring together the US, India, China and south-east Asia, and mediators can help bring these nations together. Singapore and other countries in the region could very well play that role. South East Asia and Singapore should engage and have an active role. Singapore, along with the rest of the world is also looking at alternative sources of energy. It is clear that some countries are more able and capable to deploy energy saving mechanisms such as windmills and water/tidal turbines. Solar energy, though a good solution, is still very expensive and presently is not optimal for Singapore due to our small land size and cloud cover. But we can participate in helping develop the technology and know how and benefit. Singapore drew up a sustainable blueprint earlier this year which stressed issues such as increasing energy efficiency. Singapore also has an excellent past record in many areas of environmental proection as a green city. But we, and all other nations, should also be committed to the global effort to address climate change. Singapore has good engineering and technology and export environmental services like water treatment and recycling. We pride ourselves on our development despite the lack of natural resources. We should regard carbon emissions as a constraint, like the shortage of water, land and clean air. By doing this, we would find innovative ways to minimise such emissions. The world is moving towards being carbon neutral. Carbon markets are thriving in places like London and China. Singapore should have a slice of the cake too. Singapore is after all an energy hub and one of the world’s leading future trading hubs. Without the big nations on board, it may be understandable that other nations approach Copenhagen cautiously. A solitary commitment by any single nation cannot solve this global challenge. But I hope that all governments will leave Copenhagen energized and with greater political commitment. In the post-Copenhagen scenario, many Singaporeans will hope and expect Singapore to play its role. Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 15th, 2009 Hatoyama outlines East Asia bloc - key concepts include regional prosperity, environmental cooperation. SINGAPORE (Kyodo) Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Sunday highlighted four key areas of cooperation in his concept for an East Asian community — regional prosperity, the environment, protecting human life and maritime safety. Hatoyama indicated the U.S. is a potential member of his envisaged regional grouping, saying in a speech in Singapore, “The presence of the United States has been playing and will continue to play an important role in ensuring the peace and prosperity of Asia, including Japan.” Hatoyama said Japan will speed up negotiations for economic partnership agreements with South Korea, India and Australia, and study the possibilities of talks with other countries as a means to pursuing prosperity in the region. “The concept behind my initiative for an East Asian community stems from the philosophy of yu-ai,” he said. “Within yu-ai, people respect the freedom and human dignity of others just as they respect their own freedom and human dignity. In other words, yu-ai means not only the independence of people but also their coexistence. “I set this goal because reconciliation in the real sense of the word is not necessarily believed to have been achieved in the region,” said Hatoyama, whose two-month-old government attaches great importance to Asian diplomacy. Hatoyama said Japan will make a “proactive contribution” to encourage governments and other institutions to register their human and material assets for disaster relief, which would allow the region to conduct more prompt and effective rescue and relief activities in response to disasters. Along with the four areas, Hatoyama cited nuclear disarmament, nuclear nonproliferation, urban issues, social security and cultural exchange as potential fields of regional cooperation. “There may also be an opportunity for us to discuss possible political cooperation in the future,” he said. “It may be possible that countries with the will and the capabilities to cooperate in a particular field may choose to participate in projects initially, and as their efforts bear fruit, other countries could join later.” While welcoming Washington’s commitment to Asia as stated in President Barack Obama’s speech in Tokyo on Saturday, Hatoyama carefully avoided speaking about Washington becoming a member of his envisaged East Asian community. Japan envisages a wider grouping including Australia, India, New Zealand and possibly the United States. “The (Japanese) public and us (the government) cannot understand (the idea of) returning two islands. I would like you to show a nonstereotypical approach that goes beyond such an idea,” Hatoyama quoted himself as saying at the meeting the Russian president in Singapore. Medvedev told Hatoyama that Russia truly hopes to advance negotiations on the territorial row while Hatoyama is in office, a Japanese delegation source said. Hatoyama quoted Medvedev as telling him that Moscow wants to seek a “pragmatic” solution to the dispute without employing an approach based on the thinking of the Cold War era. Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 15th, 2009 THE NYT FRONT PAGE ARTICLES DEEMED BY THE PAPER AS TOP STORIES. ————– “High Costs Weigh on Troop Debate for Afghan War.” —- “Tangle of Clues on Fort Hood Suspect.” Investigators are trying to determine whether Maj. Nidal —- “China’s Role as U.S. Lender Alters Dynamics for Obama.” ————————————————– FRONT PAGE, NOT INCLUDED IN TOP STORIES, AUTHORED AWAY FROM NEW YORK, BUT USED AS QUOTE OF THE DAY. —– Robert Pear – from Washington DC – “In House Record, Many Spoke With One Voice: The Lobbyists.” A terrific article about how US Congress works. - QUOTATION OF THE DAY - “We were approached by the lobbyist, who asked if we would be willing to enter a statement in the Congressional Record. I asked him for a draft. I tweaked a couple of words. There’s not much reason to reinvent the wheel on a Congressional Record entry.” —– FRONT PAGE, NOT INCLUDED IN TOP STORIES, AUTHORED AWAY FROM NEW YORK. Mark Mazzetti – from Washington DC – “Portrait of 9/11 ‘Jackal’ Emerges As He Awaits Stage in New York.” Not long after he was rousted from bed and seized in a predawn raid in Pakistan in March 2003, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed gave his captors two demands: He wanted a lawyer, and he wanted to be taken to New York. So, he will get his wish. ——————————- Page 6 of the paper – first page INTERNATIONAL – WORLD on the web: — “Leaders Agree to Delay a Deal on Climate Change.” … “Forest People May Lose Home in Kenyan Plan.” … “Broaching Birth Control With Afghan Mullahs.” ……………… NOT ON “WORLD” LIST and on page 8 of The New York Times: Isabel Kirschner from Jerusalem – “Unusual Partners Study Divisive Jerusalem Site.” The article ends with: “Mr. Nusseibeh, the president of Al-Quds University, takes an equally unconventional stance. He speaks of mutual denial, including Israeli-led archaeological excavations near the mount that threaten Muslim relics, practices, he said, that ‘totally flout what is divine!’ Then, to the chagrin of some of his Israeli colleagues, he signs off, ‘East Jerusalem, Palestine.’” ————————————— FROM THE WEEK IN REVIEW – THE WORLD SECTION: David Barboza – “China’s Sprint for the Gold.” In 2009 it still has only 79 billionaires as compared to the US having 359 while the GDP of China is now $4.3 trillion as compared to the US of $14.2 trillions – whatever those figures are measuring. Yes – but don’t forget the trends! Then see the following ending paragraph: “But even leading economists confess to difficulty at fully understanding the role of a nation dominated by state-owned companies. For instance, while some argue that China’s low-cost manufacturing hurts America by draining away American jobs, other economists say that exporting those jobs to China allows companies to become more profitable in America, and expand their better-paying advertising, service and development departments at home. They also point out that Chinese factories hold down the price of everyday goods for Americans. One study, cited in “China: The Balance Sheet” (Public Affairs, 2006), said that, on average, America is about $70 billion a year richer because of trade with China. Through all the arguments and counterarguments, one thing seems clear: China’s momentous shift is creating the need for armies of analysts, economists and experts to explain and forecast how China’s rise will remake the world, and the lives of ordinary Americans.” —————————- FROM THE SUNDAY BUSINESS SECTION WE PICK THE FOLLOWING: From page 1 – “At Bloomberg, A Modest Strategy to Rule The World (as in “we want to be the World’s most influential news organization.” by Stephanie Clifford and Juli Creswall. ———- and from page 7 – SOAP BOX: By Harry Hurt III – Off – the – shelf: “Can Public Aid Really Help Business?” and BACKDROP (City Photos) also in the SOAP BOX section under multimedia: The astonishing – “MICROLENDING FROM BANGLADESH TO THE BOROUGHS.” This is about the Grameen Bank established in Bangladesh to help poor women in developing countries – helping right here in New York City immigrant women with average loans of $1,625. NOW THIS IS JUST AS REVEALING OF THE STATE OF THE UNION IN THE US AS ANY ARTICLE ABOUT THE RISE OF CHINA. WE ASK – WHY WAS THIS ARTICLE NOT INCLUDED AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY? Aha! Let us rethink the stimulus to the big banks idea – perhaps by bringing Professor Yunus in as advisor to the White House? This is actually our idea of the day! Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 13th, 2009 Obama arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda airport aboard Air Force One earlier in the day on his first official trip to Japan. He will depart Saturday for Singapore to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit. “I began my trip here in Tokyo because the alliance between the United States and Japan is a foundation for security and prosperity not just for our two countries but for the Asia-Pacific region,” Obama said. With the 50th anniversary of the revision of the Japan-U.S. security treaty coming up next year, the two leaders promised to strengthen the bilateral ties to aim for a “world without nuclear weapons.” “I told Obama that the Japan-U.S. alliance is the foundation of everything in regards to Japan’s diplomacy,” Hatoyama said. “But the times and the situation of the world have changed and I suggested to further advance and develop the alliance, to create a constructive and future-oriented new Japan-U.S. alliance.” During the evening talks at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence, Hatoyama and Obama issued a joint statement, pledging the two governments to work closely toward nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize last month for his vision of a nuclear-free world. And On Climate Change according to Kyodo News: 80% cut in CO2 by ‘50 reaffirmed. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obamareaffirmed at their summit Friday the shared goal of achieving an 80 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and supporting efforts by “the poor and most vulnerable” nations to combat climate change. Also – Hatoyama and Obama endorsed a pledge by the Group of Eight major economies in July in L’Aquila, Italy, to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, they did not touch on an emissions reduction goal by developed countries by 2020, as it is the focal point of the current U.N. climate negotiations. Shifting to low-carbon growth is indispensable to the health of the planet and will play a central role in reviving the global economy, Obama and Hatoyama agreed. —————- In Japan, Obama stresses Asia’s role in U.S. economy President Obama embarks on a nine-day tour of Asian countries, including Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea. Obama is expected to address topics such as security, environment, the economy and U.S.-Asia relations. Event: Obama speaks at Suntory Hall in Tokyo about American engagement in Asia. Meeting: Meets with emperor and empress of Japan. Travel: Leaves for Singapore. By Anne E. Kornblut and Blaine Harden TOKYO — Declaring himself “America’s first Pacific president,” President Obama opened his trip to the region Saturday by asserting that the future of the U.S. economy depends more than ever on Asia — and by pledging that China’s growth will not come at the expense of its neighbors. In speaking to an invited audience at Tokyo’s Santory Hall, Obama offered only cursory remarks on human rights, an issue that will grow more prominent this weekend as he crosses paths in Singapore with the leader of the Burmese military junta and then heads to China. As a sign of how exhausting his trip has already been, Obama briefly stumbled over the name of the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Unlike in earlier speeches in Cairo and Berlin, Obama did not seem to be trying to shift a global dynamic. But in the only major address he plans to give during this trip, he brought the force of his personal story to bear, invoking memories of a childhood visit to Japan and, in praising Asians as part of the immigrant experience in the United States, relating that experience to his own. “I am an American president who was born in Hawaii and lived in Indonesia as a boy,” Obama said, mentioning his sister, Maya, who was born in Jakarta, and his mother’s years in Southeast Asia. “So the Pacific Rim has helped shape my view of the world.” The speech was notably short on new initiatives toward Asia. Instead, the president emphasized that the future of U.S. prosperity is irreversibly tied to the dynamic economies of the region. “The fortunes of America and the Asia Pacific have become more closely linked than ever before,” Obama said. “So I want every American to know that we have a stake in the future of this region, because what happens here has a direct effect on our lives at home.” “So the United States does not seek to contain China, nor does a deeper relationship with China mean a weakening of our bilateral alliances,” Obama said. “On the contrary, the rise of a strong, prosperous China can be a source of strength for the community of nations.” Obama said the United States and China “will not agree on every issue” — he mentioned religious freedom and human rights — but added that the two countries should move “forward in a spirit of partnership rather than rancor.” To keep the nascent economic recovery going, Obama said the United States and the countries of East Asia need to make fundamental changes in their respective economies — with Americans saving more, spending less and increasing exports, while Asians spend more on housing and infrastructure and also increase their standard of living. In an earlier news conference, Obama addressed what has become a serious sticking point in U.S.-Japanese relations, saying he expects Tokyo to implement its 2006 agreement to allow a U.S. Marine air station in Okinawa to be relocated on the island. Hatoyama, who took office in September, has suggested that Futenma Air Station be moved off Okinawa or even outside the country. Hatoyama’s position was bluntly rejected last month by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. The two countries agreed earlier in the week to form a high-level working group on the air station. Obama said the two governments shared a common goal of providing for “the defense of Japan with minimal intrusion on the lives of the people who share this space.” But a White House official traveling with the president emphasized that the working group would not reopen or renegotiate the three-year-old deal on restructuring U.S. forces in Japan. —— The Chinese are ‘changing us’ By John Pomfret WAUSAU, WIS. — In a cavernous warehouse amid rolling hills and dairy farms, a group of farmers recently gathered around a buyer in a conversation heralding a sea change in the United States. “I don’t think you Americans get it,” said the buyer, dressed casually in designer brands and sporting a watch worth as much as the mud-splattered GM trucks in the parking lot outside. “We need quality. We demand quality. Top quality. If you work with me, we can win together. But if you don’t, there’s nothing I can do.” Being harangued by a pharmaceutical company executive from China was new for these burly farmers, but no one complained. These tough men from the American Midwest treated their Chinese guest as a savior of sorts, in an important economic and cultural reality that will confront President Obama on his first visit to China, starting Sunday. On visits to Shanghai and Beijing, Obama will encounter not simply a rising global power but a nation that is transforming and challenging the way Americans live overseas and at home, from college classrooms to real estate offices to the ginseng farms of central Wisconsin. Americans have been selling Panax quinquefolius to China since 1784 when the first China-bound trading ship sailed from New York to Canton, today’s Guangzhou, weighed down with 30 tons of the root, prized in Asia for medicinal properties. But today the U.S. ginseng industry, centered here in Wisconsin, is on its back, kicked down by bogus imitations from Chinese competitors and state-subsidized crops from Canada. Twenty years ago, 1,500 farmers grew ginseng in Wisconsin for the China market; now the number is down to 150. Prices have dropped from $60 a pound to $24. The farmers around the ginseng barrels on this rainy fall night looked for an answer from Chun Yu, a Chinese businessman dangling his company’s chain of 1,000 retail stores throughout China as the ultimate prize. “Years ago, it didn’t matter what we grew. They bought everything we had,” said Randy Ross, a 54-year-old former dairy farmer who has been growing ginseng since 1978. “Now we’ve got to learn how to satisfy them. They are changing us.” Catching China fever: While it’s not exactly the People’s Republic of Wisconsin, this state has been seized with a China fever of sorts. Throughout the United States, old notions of China have been replaced with a deeper understanding that China is a force that must be reckoned with. Hate it or love it, China is a major player in American life. China is now Wisconsin’s (and the country’s) third-biggest export market, buying more American soybeans, oil seeds, hides and animal skins, raw cotton, copper, nonferrous metals, wood pulp, semiconductors and miscellaneous chicken parts (a.k.a. chicken feet) than anyone else. At the University of Wisconsin, as at college campuses across the United States, mainland Chinese dominate the study of science and technology and form the backbone of the engineering, chemistry and pharmacy departments. They receive twice as many doctorates in this country as students from India, the next-closest foreign competitor. And among foreigners, they register by far the most patents in the United States. Chinese investors have snapped up pieces of distressed real estate in Milwaukee, as they have in other crumbling Midwestern industrial cities, not to mention in Florida, California and Arizona. Last year, a group from Germantown, Md., and China bought an empty mall on Milwaukee’s depressed northwest side for $6 million, down from its $8 million list price. In July, a Chinese steelmaker bought 54 acres in an industrial park off Interstate 94 between Milwaukee and Chicago. A team of Midwestern businessmen, including the former CIA station chief in Beijing, has recently established, in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, a special zone in Wisconsin that would grant U.S. citizenship in exchange for a $1 million investment. Meanwhile, in a state that has lost more than 160,000 (or one-third) of its manufacturing jobs in a decade, local newspapers have been running editorials praising the People’s Republic and blasting those who oppose closer trade ties or Chinese investment. “China is a friend to Wisconsin and its businesses, not an enemy in a trade war,” the Wisconsin State Journal said in an editorial. Seeking out business: Wisconsin’s governor, Jim Doyle (D), has been to China to promote Wisconsin three times since he took office in 2003. When he first went, he said, fellow governors in other states worried about the appearance of an American governor going to China seeking business. Now, it’s commonplace. More than 14 of his counterparts have visited China in the past two years. “China is incredibly important to us,” he said in an interview. “Even in these difficult times, some of the industries getting by are the ones selling to China. If we didn’t have the Chinese, we would have been in much, much tougher shape.” One of those firms is Bucyrus International, based in South Milwaukee, which has exported coal-mining equipment to China since trade relations were opened in the 1970s. In the past three years, it has doubled its workforce, in part because of the China trade. “We were still skeptical seven or eight years ago that these guys were for real,” said Bucyrus chief executive Tim Sullivan. “Now we know.” The boosterism about China sometimes reaches a fever pitch. One of the businessmen who helped set up the special investment zone, Robert Kraft, said China in the future will do what the Germans did for Milwaukee in the past. “The Chinese are coming,” Kraft said in a telephone interview from China, where he was scouting for Chinese investors. “We’re just trying to get a piece of it for Wisconsin.” “The Chinese Are Coming” was the title of a session in late September in Baltimore at the annual meeting of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. There educators spoke about skyrocketing numbers of Chinese high school graduates applying for admission at U.S. colleges. That’s new. For the last 20 years, Chinese have been at or near the top of the number of foreign students in the United States — but most were in grad school. In all, about 89,000 are currently in the United States, according the Chinese Embassy. China has also helped establish 61 Confucius Institutes across the United States, including one in Wisconsin, to teach Chinese and undertake “cultural dialogues,” the embassy said. At the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Chinese undergraduates now account for more than half of the 1,109 Chinese students there. That increase is another sign that China is coming because Wisconsin, like many state schools, doesn’t provide scholarships for international undergrads. Last year, Chinese students paid out $2 billion in tuition nationwide. “That money is keeping some American colleges alive,” said Laurie Cox, who runs the international student center at the Madison campus. “Every time I turn around, another campus has signed a memorandum of understanding with another Chinese university,” said Kevin Reilly, the president of the university’s 26 campuses. Reilly recently joined Doyle on a trip to China. “I came away thinking, if the 20th century was the American century . . . you have to believe that the 21st century will be the Chinese century.” Difficulties and disputes: Wisconsin is not immune to troubles with China. For years, until they were stopped in 2004, two Chinese nationals used Milwaukee as a base from which they exported restricted electronics and computer chips to Chinese institutes that make missiles. Quality problems with China’s imports have also bedeviled Wisconsin firms — as they have American consumers who purchased deadly pet food, lead-laden toys, and defective drywall that is believed to have rendered thousands of homes in the South almost uninhabitable. One Wisconsin company, Scientific Protein Laboratories, was in the center of a supply chain making the blood-thinner heparin. Hundreds of allergic reactions to the drug, including 81 reported deaths, led to a nationwide recall that was linked to tainted raw materials from China in 2007 and 2008. These days Wisconsin is at the center of a new trade dispute with China. Appleton Coated of Kimberly was one of three paper companies to join with the United Steelworkers to file a petition with the government alleging that China was dumping certain types of paper products in the U.S. market. On Nov. 6, the U.S. International Trade Commission decided to investigate allegations of unfair subsidies. Jon Geenan, international vice president for the United Steelworkers, grew up near the Kimberly plant. He estimates that Chinese and Indonesian imports have cost the state more than 5,000 jobs in its paper mills. That means dozens of foreclosed homes and hundreds of people who are behind on their property taxes. “Even the churches say that donations are down,” he said. “They are definitely challenging the way we live.” In Marathon County, where the glaciated soil makes for a bitter ginseng, the way many Chinese like it, Yu, the ginseng buyer, appears content with his new role as big shot. He recently met Gov. Doyle and signed a deal to become China’s exclusive importer of Wisconsin’s prized root. “But only if the quality is good,” he said. “The student has become the teacher!”
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 12th, 2009 Close to the departure of President Obama on his all-important trip to Asia with stops in Tokyo November 12th, Singapore November 13-15, Shanghai November 15th, Beijing November 16-18, and Seoul November 18-19, the Japan Society has planned co-incidentally the event we are reporting about here. Japan is the only original OECD member in Asia, as such Japan clearly feels justifiably it is a US prime partner in Asia. It also was clearly instrumental in nailing down the 1987 Kyoto Protocol to The Framework Convention on Climate Change, and hopes that this material will continue to be the base for future climate negotiations. That was the basis for having co-organized and hosted the following meeting – November 10th. ————- Copenhagen & Beyond: A Multilateral Debate about Climate Change Policy. The positions and participation of Japan, China and the United States in any successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol will help determine its success or failure. In a Tuesday November 10, 2009 panel, at the Japan Society, New York, Masayoshi Arai, Director, JETRO New York, Special Advisor, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI); The Honorable Zhenmin Liu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations; Elliot Diringer, Vice President, International Strategies, Pew Center on Global Climate Change; and Takao Shibata, chair of the working group that drafted the Kyoto Protocol, debated the direction of international climate change policy. It was Moderated by Jim Efstathiou, Correspondent, Bloomberg News, and co-organized by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs ————– Takao Shibata, who is now a Chancellor Lecturer at the University of Kansas and Japan Consul General in Kansas City,mentioed that Japan is ready to commit to a 2020 reduction of 25% in emissions provided that there is FAIR and EFFECTIVE agreement with a VIGUROUS COMPLIANCE agreement as part of it. He stressed that the problem with Kyoto was that there was no compliance paragraph in the Protocol. All it said was that we postpone decision. The OBJECTIVE must be: THE STABILIZATION OF CO2 CONCENTRATION IN THE ATMOSPHERE rather then fighting over figures of temperature increase or concentrations in parts per milion numbers. We have already a Framework he said – the Copenhagen process should be about STABILIZATION. Later he added that we must at least agree to a 2050 position. Mr. Masayoshi Arai, who is in New York since June 2009, with The Japaese External Trade Organization (JETRO), after having held 16 positions within Japan Government, includingthe Prime Minister’s task force that created the Japan Consumer Protection Agency, and with The Fair Trade Commission and Agency for Natural Resouces and Energy and its Research Institute, Supervised manufacturing industries in their CO2 emissions reduction, and has also an MBA from Wharton, probably because of his present government trade position, was rather careful in what he said. He said that we ned something “meaningful” for global warming and left the Japanese point of view to Professor Shibata. ————- Eliot Diringer whose organization, the Washington based Pew Center, is a link between Environmentalism, industry and government made it clear that what is lacking is a legal architecture in place to deal with the problems created by climate change to which now Professor Shibata answered on the spot that the history is such that already in Berlin, later in Kyoto, the US was against a legal concept – that is a clear 15 year old problem. In Kyoto, the US Vice President came to seal the Protocol in full knowledge that it is unratifiable in Washington. Shibata does not want a repeat of this with a US that is in no position to ratify an agreement. Diringer came back with the suggestion that he can see that Developing countries will accept self prescribed domestic reductions and will request an agreement that makes this possible for them to do so. That means a new FRAMEWORK that is more flexible then the original. ————— Ambassador Zhenmin Liu, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the UN in New York since 2006, in charge of China’s participation on the Second Committee at the UN, with prior experience at the UN in Geneva and as Director-General of the Treaty and Law Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been involved in Climate Change negotiations for China. He was actually the only member of the panel entitled to express a national negotiating position, and he did indeed come through. Ambassador Liu said that he cannot have now a document to replace Kyoto – this lines him up with what might be a Japanese interest, but clearly is no answer to the problems that were pointed out at why Kyoto was a failure. But then he also said that you need a GLOBAL CAP for the GHG emissions that must then take into account, when talking about individual nations, their level of industrialization. A certain raport evolved between him and Washingtonian Diringer. It was agreed that there is the need for Technology Innovation, Technology Cooperation, and Technology Transfer. Diringer said that China is very well positioning itself for the green technology economy. People in the US start to understand that the US will lose the competition for future technology and there must be a start for support in US Congress for energy action right now. These exchanges gave me an opening to ask mty question about what goes on right now – the days that President Obama plans for his trip to Asia with a long stopover in China. I started my question to ambassador Liu by saying that on the internet there is a lot of talk about a G-2 US-China agreement needed to jump start the Copenhagen negotiations, and I saw visually the Ambassador cringe. to this idea of a G-2. I continued by asking that what can we expect as an outcome from the meetings in Beijing if there is anything he could tell us as we believe that some concluding material was negotiated prior to the deision for this trip considering tha this is in effect the second meeting between the leaders? I was honored with a long answer that included several main points. The first point is that the US has accepted Kyoto and I guess China does not want to renegotiate Kyoto. Then, China has 20% of the world population the US only 5%, but China has only a fraction of the GDP per capita then the US, so there is no G-2 situation here. That must have been the reason for the cringing – China does not want to lose its place as leader of the underdeveloped nations. Secondly – this is not a US – China negotiation but a negotiation for all groups. Thirdly, there is place for clean energy cooperation, bilateral programs and projects – to jointly use clean technology. ——- Professor Shibata added that we talk of the atmosphere where there are no national boundaries. We talk of sovereign areas only on the surface of the earth – and we must realize that the effects turn up in the air and we have no national control of the air. Further, he said that in the west when something bad happens, the first thing we do is we sue the polluter – ask him to pay. He continued saying “I would encourage everyone to think about that.” Mr. Diringer added that the CDM was introduced to harness market forces to get reduction of CO2 emissions at lowes cost. ——- To summarize – it was nice for Japan to try to host a US-China debate before moves that will inevitably have to bring the US and China closer together. To follow up – let us look at President Obama’s itinerary to get further in depth to what a reorientation of the US towards Asia could mean. Japan, South Korea, and China are trying to form an East Asia Trilateral grouping with a Free Trade Agreement among the three countries. Obviously, this will open the Chinese market to Japan and Korea and there is no way for the US, with its own effective NAFTA agreement with Canada and Mexico. Japan wants thus perhaps more then just be a pivot in US – Chiba negotiations, it rather has also to make sure that it can hold on to its own agreements with both main countries. President Obama has thus quite a few non-climate topics to talk about in his Yokyo and Seoul stops. The second big stop is in Singapore where he will meet the 21 members of APEC: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong (part of China), Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Thailand, The United States, and Viet Nam. This will be the reintroduction of the US to the Pacific region in general – an area that the locals contend was totally neglected by the US in the eight years of the Bush administration. A main point in this meeting will be to help redirect the participating economies from export to the US to supply to their local populations – this so that they help both areas – their own and the US economy as well. Will they also consult on whom to back for the job of UN Secretary-General in 2010? That is about the time to start this sort of negotiations, and Singapore seems to be the right place to look for the best viable candidate. Eventually, the Third leg of the trip – the stops in China – will have to be the clear main target of the trip – as said here by Ambassador Liu, the business deals in clean energy that can underpin both economies (US and China) so they become an example for cooperation on climate change that presents direct benefits to economies looking for sustainable growth, that is a match to the needs of the people and the climate as well - this is what we call Sustainable Development that is mutual – for the newly industrializing nation and for the phasing out of the old polluting industries of the past. —————— for information from President Obama’s Asian trip we recommend: www.ft.com/obamainasia www.ft.com/rachmanblog Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on September 15th, 2009 Some of the World Environment News – September 15, 2009 – from Planet Ark of Reuters: DENMARK GERMANY NEW ZEALAND NORWAY SINGAPORE UK Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on May 17th, 2009
Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) and Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS, Singapore) are jointly organizing the first BIPSS-ISAS Roundtable dialogue on Singapore-Bangladesh Relations on 25 May 2009 in Singapore. A four member delegation from Bangladesh led by President BIPSS, Major General ANM Muniruzzaman (Retd.), will arrive in Singapore on 24 May, 2009. The roundtable agenda encompasses a wide range of issues that are of interest for both the countries; Singapore and Bangladesh. Both the institutes will present papers (each institute will present 4 papers) on domestic economic developments (of respective countries), regional security architecture, evolving regional relations in South and Southeast Asia and future of regional groupings in South and Southeast Asia (i.e. SAARC and ASEAN). The Roundtable will also review past and existing relations between Bangladesh and Singapore. The roundtable dialogue will essentially play a major role in strengthening Singapore-Bangladesh relations and furthering regional cooperation. This will be a yearly event at Track II level, and the 2nd Singapore-Bangladesh Roundtable will be hosted in Bangladesh in 2010. Tentative Programme
Arrival of Bangladesh Delegation to Singapore
8.30am Professor Tan Tai Yong Major General Muniruzzaman 9.15am Moderator Presentations Key Socio-economic and Political Developments in Bangladesh 10.45am Moderator Presentations Relations between Singapore and Bangladesh – The Bangladesh Perspective Khaled Iqbal Chowdhury, Research Associate, BIPSS
Lunch
Moderator Presentations Major Security Challenges facing South Asia
Moderator Presentations Bangladesh, the South Asian Region and SAARC
Professor Tan Tai Yong Major General Muniruzzaman
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on February 28th, 2009 APEC – the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation – was a Bush generated organization. Can the Obama Administration work with them? We just got a heavily symbols-larded e-mail announcing their March 24-25, 2009 Workshop on Policies to Promote Energy Efficiency in Transport – but we were unable to open their Draft Agenda. Nevertheless, we spotted some IEA related names in the heavily designed cover letter as supposed stars of the event. We doubt that this is an environment fit for the new Washington White House. Further, the so called “Alliance to Save Energy” was nothing more then a pre-Bush nuclear energy Washington Lobby – are they supposed to lead the new US effort? In short – what is the US going to do with this organization? Is it worth the effort to restructure it in order to save the names mentioned in the press announcement? Can this be done without a complete revolution of the staff? Is this the platform for a US-China collaboration in the Obama era? We would love to get answers from the organizers so we can post them for our readers. We are for negotiations with anyone, but then some fora may just be a waste of time.
The APEC Workshop on Policies to Promote Energy Efficiency in Transport On 24 and 25 March 2009, the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) Secretariat in Singapore will host the APEC Workshop on Policies that Promote Energy Efficiency in Transport (WPPEET). Policy makers and experts within the transportation, environment, energy and related fields from the 21 APEC member economies are invited to attend. Please register by 6 March 2009; there is no cost for registration. The workshop will bring together APEC economy policymakers and international experts to discuss best practices and lessons learned in all APEC economies, with the aim of informing future policy for promoting energy-efficient and sustainable transport throughout the APEC region. The intended outcomes of the workshop include an expansion of a 2008 survey of APEC transportation policies to incorporate the best practices and case studies discussed during the workshop, and a draft action plan for APEC economies. The attached draft agenda shows the main topics to be discussed during the workshop, all of which will touch on the themes that will be established by the Plenary panel: · Challenges in Transport and Climate Change (Lee Schipper, Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency). We hope you will join your peers from a wide range of APEC economies at this timely and important event. We look forward to your positive response and to seeing you at WPPEET in March! Please contact me at slarsen at ase.org or at +1 (202) 530-2227 if you have any questions about the workshop. Thank you, Sally Larsen Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on September 5th, 2008 IOM Press Briefing Notes INDONESIA – Religious Teachers Carry Ramadan Message of Community Policing to Aceh – IOM is working with the Ar-Raniry State Islamic Institute and the Aceh Provincial Police (Polda NAD) through the Holy month of Ramadhan to promote community policing in the Indonesia’s northernmost province through the use of Islamic cultural values unique to the area. The 15-day Safari Kemitraan Ramadhan (Ramadhan Partnership Road show), which kicks off today, is funded by the European Commission and the Royal Netherlands Embassy, and aims to inform villagers about the value of community policing using religious messages. IOM is providing logistical support, transport and printed materials for the team of religious teachers from the Institute and police officers implementing the scheme. “Communities in Aceh will benefit from all the positive values embodied in community policing. The roadshow will help to endorse the program and will be an effective tool to build partnerships with Acehnese across the province,” says Dr. Abdul Rani, Msi, a professor of Ar-Raniry. Aceh Senior Police Commissioner Setyanto says he supports the use of a culturally sensitive approach to informing a public that is deeply suspicious of the police. Aceh was the scene of a violent, decades-long separatist conflict that drew to a close in 2005, with the signing of a peace agreement between rebels and the central government. {As it happens, Aceh is also home of large oil fields with international oil companies having had involvement here. Aceh once was sponsored from the outside in its attempt of becoming independent from Indonesia – thus the announcement and the backing are quite interesting.} IOM is in the midst of a two year programme to training more than 7,200 of the roughly 9,200 police officers in Aceh in community policing and human rights. The trainings aim to reduce conflict and underpin a return to peace and security in the province. For further information, please contact Jihan Labetubun at IOM Jakarta. Tel. +62 8111907028. Email: jlabetubun at iom.int Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on June 20th, 2008 World Economic Forum: “Dire Situations Call for Bold Measures.” The World Economic Forum on East Asia wrapped up this week with Ahn Ho-Young, South Korea’s Deput Minister for Trade, saying it was dominated by “the three F’s”: food, fuel and finance. A forum survey of the 55 business leaders who attended the two-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, showed that an overwhelming Also of concern were “preventing political and economic instability linked to rising food and energy prices” and “managing the social, environmental and infrastructural implications of rapid urbanization.” He lamented that more of the world’s GDP was not being allocated to water: “One out of every five children is dying every 20 seconds because we haven’t been able to solve the problem of clean water today.”
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on May 24th, 2008
Melaka’s modern history began in 1403 with the arrival of Parameswara, an exiled Hindu Prince from the Kingdom of Sri Vijaya on Sumatra Island. The Portuguese, led by Alfonso d’Albuquerque conquered Melaka in 1511 and held it for 130 years until it was taken over by the Dutch in 1641 who ruled In addition to the obvious Portuguese, Dutch, and British influences, actually the main influence was that of the Chinese and Indians who ran the economy of Melaka. Here we will deal with the so called “Straits Chinese” or “Pernakan.” They are the “Baba-Nyonyas.” There are no Babas and Nyonyas, though a myth is being created
The straits of Melaka, between the Malay Peninsula and the long Sumatra Island is one of the busiest sea lanes through which today pass oil tankers, but even now, the straights are infested by pirates. As the event was basically a really high caliber culinary event, I enjoyed immensely Chef Ismail Muhammad, who is something of a celebrity chef in Kuala Lumpur, run me through the ethnic background Now, what did I celebrate there personally – this is simple. I was in Melaka twice, in two separate visits to Malaysia. The fist time it was in 1987 when I went to investigate the smoke that was supposed
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on May 11th, 2008 Anson Chan joined Hong Kong civil service in 1962, and advanced within the system until nominated as Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative region from 1997 to 2001 – First as Deputy to the last British Governor, Chris Patten, and then to Beijing-appointed chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. I happened to be in Hong Kong in 1997, and am aware of the mixed feelings at the time, as people saw in her the China-plant in the British Administration. But now I think that it is agreed that Hon. Anson Chan was rather the person that managed to help smooth the transition of Hong Kong – from a British Colony to an affiliate of China. She is seen now as the person that while dealing with the mechanics oof government, she also oversaw an orderly transition to a more democratic system – something that Hong Kong did not have under the British either! Hong Kong under China was given an agreed upon “Basic Law” that allows for sort of a mini-constitution; under this law she was pushing through the slow democratizing process. In 2006 she sat up a Core Group to promote democracy and universal suffrage. On that platform she was elected to the Hong Kong Legislative Council in December 2007, and looks forward to pursue that special goal which she keeps defining as UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE. Friday, May 9, 2008, Hon. Anson Chan came for a breakfast meeting/discussion with the Asia Society President Dr. Vishaka N. Desai. The topic was: THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG. She started out by telling us that until the 1980s there was no attempt under the British to establish a representative government in Hong Kong. The first election was held in 1985. By 1991 there were 10 members elected on the basis of one man – one vote. And there was also the corporate identity that created a Functional Constituency that takes part in the elections. She expressed the obvious that these Functional Constituencies can not be part of the universal suffrage idea. We regard that time in China as Oppressive – she said, and by the time the British made some moves to have representative government it was already too late. The first real sign of progress was thus the election of December 2007 – and this is with Hong Kong as part of China. Even Bhutan has now elections – so why does Hong Kong have to wait? – she asked. But still – Hong Kong will have complete personal elections only by 2020. There is an intermediary stage set for 2012, but she hopes that within 4 years, the Central Government (that is Beijing) may get the trust of the people – as the people in Hong Kong are loyal to China, and know that HK is part of China. So, there will be no reason not to have every person in have the right to vote and to stand for election. This second part is important in democracy and this is not yet the case in HK. A nominating Committee should not be a filtering sieve to eliminate those you do not want to stand for the election she explained. Further she explained of a system of four sectors in the election comittee. She hoped that in stages there will be an increase in elected officials 2012 – 2016 – 2020. Having served for 39 years in HK government , her “passion” is now to get fair government for Hong Kong, she said. Dr. Desai asked her – after 39 years in government, how is this that you decided now to move over to the elected branch? (or in her actual words – “to the other side”) Anson explained that she created a group of like-minded people to put forward ideas that the government ignored. The situation was – “put-up or shut-up.” So she decided to run for elections. Quite a few people, even high-school students, went to Taiwan to observe elections. This is very good she said – specially for the young – it will be for them. WE LOOK FORWARD TO ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP TO TAIWAN, a government-to-government relationship, she said. Q. What role can the International Community play to help on this path? This because of the strong international presence – it is Asia’s International City? A. there are ex-pats living in HK, so there is concern. At the moment it is air quality! Not just politics! It is important that HK remains GHG Green. This is not interference by the International Community. Q. From someone who lived in Singapore and wanted to know if the elections could lead to a situation like in Singapore? A. “I hope it will not be the model for HK – think there will be a genuine choice for Singapore. We have a number of social problems, health care, how to educate, how to teach skills..” She further expressed her concern with what happens with the civil service as a whole. She was not able to back some of the appointments that were made without the necessary checks and balances. Her opponent was appointed from one of the “friendly parties.” Now I had my chance, and asked Ms. Chang if she sees a possibility for China evolving into a Federal government situation that could then allow for diversity. I did add perhaps a possibility to have such entities like Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Tibet among the units. I got in reply forthcoming information that was, honestly, even more then I hoped for. Ms. Chan mentioned the Economic Zones that have their separate governing systems. She also mentioned the Autonomous Regions – so in principle the diversity is possible, and it is not set in stone because of existing present lines of demarcation that separate different administrative units. So, what I understand is that the whole Chinese central government is evolving – so that the state is ready to allow functional entities to evolve in different ways – as ingredients of a China that does figure to be a multi-system state – rather then a tightly centralized state. This gives us the justification that the system of buttons we introduced on www.SustainabiliTank.info, as part of our China button, is indeed the way of the future. We may thus enlarge our present selection by including buttons, as needed, for the Special Economic Zones. Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on April 23rd, 2008 Global Economy Gets a Little Greener. Ten New Participants Join UNEP’s Climate Neutral Network at the Global All of them have pledged to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas The announcement was made today at the Global Business for the Environment “A small but growing band of countries, cities and corporations are making Headquartered in Peru, Belcorp is an international corporation with 40 Inoxia is a small advertising outlet based in Bordeaux, France, which The aptly named BlindSpot research centre in the United Kingdom explores Based in Brazil’s financial capital São Paolo, Incentive Sol is an Sempre Avanti Consulting is a carbon-neutral consulting practice based in The UK-based Carbon Clear helps businesses and individuals calculate their Wright Communications is New Zealand’s only public relations consultancy Established in 1999, Planète Urgence is a French NGO that has pioneered the The Regional Ozone Network in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) was created in Last but not least, the United Nations has, under the leadership of UN Quotes from Some of the New Climate Neutral Network (CN Net) Participants: Belcorp http://www.belcorp.biz/): “As a corporation, we are committed to Inoxia http://inoxia.com/): “Inoxia strongly believes that each company’s BlindSpot http://www.blindspot.org.uk/): “If ever there was a moment for Incentive Sol Soluções Solidárias Ltda http://www. incentivesol.com): Sempre Avanti Consulting NZ Ltd (http:// www.sempreavantinz.co.nz/): “We Carbon Clear http://www.carbon-clear.com/): “Carbon Clear is delighted to Wright Communications http://www.wrightcommunications.co.nz/): “A number Planète Urgence http://www.planete-urgence.com/): “Planète Urgence is Regional Ozone Network in Europe and Central Asia The aims and objectives of the Climate Neutral Network, the pledges and UN Environment Management Group is at www.unemg.org Global Business Summit for the Environment – http://www.b4esummit.com/ For more information, please contact: *********************************** ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on March 6th, 2008 A Brand Exists In People’s Hearts and Minds – In Today’s Asia, You are what you wear. That’s why people pay in Asia US$1000 (and more) for a canvas handbag that is branded Louis Vuitton. Chadha Strategy is a Hong Kong-based brand consultancy that specializes in connecting global brands with Asian consumers’ hearts and minds. It was founded in 2000 by Radha Chadha, one of Asia’s foremost brand strategy and consumer insights experts. Radha hails from India, she has worked with leading advertising agencies Ogilvy & Mather, JWT, Grey Worldwide and Bates Asia. She has held senior strategic planning positions, and led the thinking on brands such as HSBC, American Express, British Airways, Glaxo SmithKline and Mandarin Oriental. Chadha Strategy advises companies operating in Asia on all areas relating to building a brand and its communication, and provides a range of services from brand strategy development to corporate training and speaking engagements. Radha is the co-author of the newly released book “The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury.” Visit the web site of the book http://www.cultoftheluxurybrand.com to learn more. Hong Kong boasts more Gucci and Hermes stores than New York or Paris. China’s luxury market is growing with such gusto that it will single-handedly become the biggest by 2014. Even India, the new kid on the luxury block, has 3-month waiting lists for hot items, while in Tokyo, the epicenter of the cult, 94% of women in their 20s own a Louis Vuitton bag. We learned astonishing things, at the Asia Society in New York, from Ms. Chadha in her conversation with Greg Furman, Wednesday March 5, 2008. Mr. Furman, President, Furman Communications & Marketing, is the Founder/Chairman of the Luxury Marketing Council. Today, Hong Kong has more Gucci and Hermes stores then Paris or New York. Ferragamo looks like the new National Shoe Brand in some developing countries. Talking of goods one wears – while consumers in the US buy only 11% of the global sales of luxury brands, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa, together) 32% – Asian consumer buy today 52% of the total global sales of these goods. Ms. Chadha knows about 50 women in Hong Kong that spend $1 Million for clothing and further 250 women – half a million each, she knows that many women are not rich, simply secretaries, and nevertheless buy brand name goods. She explained why so many Asians spend so much on luxury brand bags, watches, and jewellery. Her basic answer is that today in Asia you are what you wear! Further, as there was in all of Asia some variation of the caste system – this has been dismantled with the new economy and instead came – “How much money you have!” So now some signal via goods they wear – here – I come from a decent family league and by showing off even more expensive goods – I come from even a higher league! so, the brands have become symbols to redefine the position of Asians in Society. Above created the interest in “logofication” of the goods – the logo can tell anyone who you think you really are. This sociology got even more interesting with the description of the five stages of this pseudo-development – that is not just the domain of the rich: It all starts with Stage 1 – that is the basic past SUBJUGATION stage. Every Asian Society was subjugated in the last 200 years but now the new independence and economy have introduced the bed of money. Stage 2 is thus START OF MONEY. India is now getting to this stage. But China is already ahead at Stage 3 which is the Stage of SHOW OFF. It is already 1% of the Chinese population that have reached this stage. Stage 4 is FIT IN – or what we called in the West “Keeping up with the Joneses.” That is where Hong Kong and Singapore are now and Taiwan and Korea are now entering this stage also. But the highest heaven in this scale is Stage 5 – that is the stage when all of this has become a “WAY OF LIFE.” Now you cannot think of doing it any other way. To understand how all of this happened, Ms. Chadha gave us as example the ACCELERATORS for three countries. The Japan Accelerators: In per capita, the income of the Japanese is like in the US, but the homes are small, the transportation is cumbersome and people do not own cars. They have money to spend – so they spend it on their bodies. The luxury brands are very expensive so they suck up some of these available funds. in Japan young people are clinging to their parents’ home – This liberates money for secretaries and sales force employees. That is 50% of those sales. The China Accelerators: Much is given as gifts to business contacts. The brands entered in the 90’s and every transaction was smoothed with a gift. Now also an “own use” market is growing, and because the men earn mainly the money – this has created a man’s market for 50% of the sales. Then, in China there is the Mistresses sink-hole. As China has become the largest target for foreign investment, this as Japan was in the past, there are many male busines people that come to China and acquire the confort of a second wife. obviously, this is no hint to any legal connection, but it is a highly important driver for luxury brand items. India is a different case. A major Accelerator for the market are the Marriage extravaganzas. An Indian wedding could go for 7 days and there is a lot of gifting. Mainly from the bride’s family side to the groom’s family side. Some families have saved for years in order to spend it on this extravaganza. A second Accelerator in India is now the POWER OF BOLLYWOOD. From spending on the body, now quality is appreciated in other areas as well. Radha was talking of the “impact of the hand” – the heritage – to show value. So a luxury hotel that once was priding itself with good beds and pillows – now talks of great service to be remembered. In the Q&A came up the question of Eco-luxury or the new values that are demanded by some from Europe and the US. This is not yet well developed but it is on the way. Also, in the Us we start now with “Luxury of Wellness” – with concierge services for the whole family. This actually existed in Asia before and does see now a resurgence and repackaging. Someone wanted to find out about counterfeiting in Asia – how is it perceived when actually a lot of the products come from China and Korea? Then further – the effect of manufacturing over-runs that are sold as if they where counterfeits but are in effect the real thing? The answer to all of this is that the Asian customer – once he buys the real thing he will not go back to a non-known product. OK, all what we heard was about the European brands having taken over the Asian Luxury-Brands market. But what about developing Asian own luxury brands? The answer was that time has come, but nevertheless, there is here an aura of country of origin. People in Asia look up to Western brands and when Japanese designer got successful overseas – it is just that – they had to show their mettle first by succeeding in the foreign markets. And that is totally ridiculous – just think that when in Europe they still wore “Wolf-Suits”, luxury items were imported from Persia, India, China. Luxury brands is a make believe exclusivity. It is by association with cellebrity – it is about creating an aura. Then the buyer will also believe that luxury rests in quality of manufacturing. I had the chance to speak with Ms. Chadha after the presentation and told her that i did indeed buy about 15 years ago two pairs (black and brown) of Coach shoes (one of the brands that were mentioned) and they were so good that I keep giving them to the shoemaker for repair – and the company just lost me as a client – I am sure that this does not endear me to Coach. Now, thinking about sustainable development, the reality depicted in this evening tales is quite appauling when one feels compassion for the development in these countries. In effect we can see little difference with the imports of Cadillacs in the 50s-60s to Saudi Arabia. We clearly would have liked to hear that quality is related to environmental achievements – or at least something more cerebral then showing off to the Joneses. So be it – I hope the folks at UNICEF read this – they may find some vindication here of their own Gucci story. 9 those uninitiated, please use the search mechanism of our website to read about the UN and Gucci. ————- Further, from this article we also learn about a rearranged world. And that might even be more interesting then the actual content of luxury brands. Now – did you realize that Asia is now basically composed of the economies of China Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore, Korea, Japan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia – ten States from the South, South East and Far East parts of Asia? Above States are basically Budhist and Hindu with a springling of Islam? As said in the article all these societies had historic caste structures. Malysia comes in thanks to the very active Budhist and Hindu minorities. Eventually this Asia will fill out a bit with the addition of Mongolia, Burma, Cambodia, Laos … when those countries will start also to take part in the regional development process. Perhapse also others like Bangladesh and the Philippines, North Korea, Indonesia in some form or other. The fact that this Asia will interact with the US is of no surprise, but rather as a major surprise we found here this EMEA concept – Europe – Middle East – Africa that lumps all what is to the West of this Asia into one group that is now led by Europe – but who knows – someday it might actually be led by the Islamic Middle East. All what did not fit in to above three economic blocs – that is Latin America/Caribbean and Australia/New Zealand/Pacific are simply the outsiders – those famous “Others” in UN language. Seemingly this Asia does not have much use for them. www.SustainabiliTank.info comment) Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on January 28th, 2008 From the spokesperson’s office of UNEP we were sent the following Press Release. {But let us, note first that – SustainabiliTank.info finds of particular interest the choice for the African region of Climate Change Links 2008 Champions of the Earth Award Winners. Green achievers from Bangladesh to New Zealand will be honoured at NAIROBI, 28 January 2008 – From protecting the unique biodiversity of Prince Albert II of Monaco, former US Senator Timothy E. Wirth and New The Champions of the Earth prize, which will be given out at a ceremony in The other 2008 Champions of the Earth are: Balgis Osman-Elasha, a senior All the winners have spearheaded outstanding initiatives in many different The announcement comes on the eve of the 10th Special Session of the UNEP Achim Steiner, the UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, In doing so, these inspirational individuals demonstrate not only that 2008 Champions of the Earth: UNEP SPECIAL PRIZE By setting a carbon-neutral goal for New Zealand, Prime Minister Helen Miss Clark’s policies champion renewable energy and energy efficiency AFRICA Dr. Balgis Osman-Elasha
The award also recognizes Dr. Osman-Elasha’s efforts to educate Sudanese ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Dr. Atiq Rahman is an eloquent advocate for sustainable development from Dr. Rahman’s extensive publications on the subjects of environment and With his national and international experience in environment and resource EUROPE One of Prince Albert II’s first acts as sovereign of Monaco was to sign the The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which he created in 2006, works Prince Albert has also shown remarkable commitment to sustainable LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Ms. Thompson has become one of the recognized leaders on environmental During her time as Minister of Energy and the Environment of Barbados, she She also became a key voice to raise awareness of global warming in Ms. Thompson has also played a role in environmental awareness and NORTH AMERICA For the last 30 years, Timothy E. Wirth has been an advocate for A strong supporter of the Kyoto Protocol, Mr. Wirth was instrumental in Mr. Wirth was also a steadfast advocate on environmental issues during his WEST ASIA Mr. Ba-Jammal has had a truly pioneering influence on environmental Mr. Ba-Jammal also orchestrated conservation efforts for the Socotra Among other achievements, Mr. Ba-Jammal also supported the declaration of Champions of the Earth is an international environment award established in Past Champions of the Earth winners include, among others: Ms. Massoudeh The Champions of the Earth are invited to accept their award at an No monetary reward is attached to the prize – each laureate receives a Background on the Champions of the Earth award and all the laureates can be The 10th Special Session of UNEP’s Governing Council /Global Ministerial For information on World Environment Day 2008, please visit For more information, please contact: Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson, on UNEP News Release 2008/1 *********************************** ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on January 26th, 2008 The article apeared on The Japan Times online January 27, 2008. . . . Some misguided souls suggest that the world will start holding up the “China model” as a viable alternative to liberal democracy. One famous commentator provocatively proposes that “China’s success story is the most serious challenge that liberal democracy has faced since fascism in the 1930s.” The truth is that each country must evolve its own model. Some will want parts of America’s people power or a Japan at its crisis-best. Others will want to borrow some of the elite policy-engineering savvy of successful Singapore. Others will inevitably look to Scandinavia for guidance on the social safety-net issue. But China as a starter-kit model? Look, the place has at least 1.3 billion people. The only country close to that is India, with its bumbling, inefficient democracy. But India is never going to emulate China, ever. Nor — in our lifetime at least — is anyone else. Thankfully. Tom Plate is a veteran journalist and author. He teaches policy and communication studies at UCLA. Permalink |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on January 22nd, 2008 Cartoons #108 – “Things Are Bad When Credit Card Applications Stop Coming.” London Talks Of a Crash Fed By Expectation of a US Recession.
Crash! Biggest fall in shares since September 11 Recession fears wipe £84bn off the value of Britain’s biggest companies as stock markets tumble across the globe By Nick Clark Published: 22 January 2008
Click here for full-size version It was the day that the fear factor took over. From Asia to South America, share prices tumbled yesterday as the world’s investors gambled that a US recession was now inevitable. In London, the City endured its darkest day since the nadir of 9/11. What Alan Greenspan once called the “irrational exuberance” of traders gambling on rising asset values has gone. In its place, a deep-rooted pessimism has taken hold. In a single session, a massive £84bn was wiped off the value of Britain’s biggest companies, as the FTSE 100 index plummeted by 5.5 per cent, closing 323.5 points lower at 5578.2. Last week the index dipped beneath the 6,000 mark for the first time since the credit crunch began in August. It was the eighth consecutive day of losses. Since Christmas Eve, the FTSE has dropped by almost 1,000 points and last night analysts were predicting further falls. While President George Bush has authorized an economic rescue package to address the US sub-prime crisis, market experts believe the plan has come too late. And no one believes the world’s other major economies will remain unscathed as America plunges into an economic downturn. For the world’s biggest companies, recession in an export market as vital as the US can only spell trouble. One senior UK-based trader said: “The fear is palpable as investors are getting more worried about the prospect of a recession in the US. In the current climate any vaguely scary news is pummeling the market.” Martin Slaney, head of derivatives at GFT Global Markets, said: “The punches just keep coming. Ambivalence over Bush’s rescue plan for the US economy was the trigger of this rout, causing fears of an economic slowdown.” The gloom and alarm coursing through the City was repeated wherever shares and stocks were changing hands. Europe suffered, with Germany’s Dax index off 7.16 per cent and France’s CAC 40 down 6.83 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225, which closed before trading in London, fell 3.86 per cent to a two-year low. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 5.5 per cent, and Australia’s ASX 200, was down 2.9 per cent. It was the ASX’s 11th consecutive negative day, the longest losing run for a quarter of a century. David Buik, a market expert from Cantor Index, said: “The world is now in a severe credit crisis. Banks all over the world have been indiscriminately lending money to consumers and business alike and they will have to pull in their horns, which will affect growth throughout the world.” Poor economic data and corporate news, as well as an acceptance that the sub-prime mortgage fallout has further to go, “has created the highly distressed conditions for a global sell-off in equities”, according to Mr Slaney, of GFT. Philip Isherwood, European and UK equity strategist at Dresdner Kleinwort, said two factors had pushed the market towards the belief that a recession in the US was almost inevitable. With a sad irony, President Bush’s belated attempt to alleviate the crisis overwhelming US financial institutions may have had the opposite effect. On Friday, President Bush proposed a rescue package of up to $150bn to help stabilize the US economy, which is staggering in the wake of the sub-prime crisis. He called for the plan, based on tax relief, after admitting the country faced the risk of a downturn. That came in the run-up to a critical meeting at the Federal Reserve on 31 January, when the option of cutting interest rates will be discussed. The general consensus is towards a cut of 0.5 per cent. But Mr Isherwood said: “Both the impending cuts and the rescue package have helped push the market towards thinking a recession in the US is near fact.” There may be no good option now. Further woes on the UK market and increased losses for the FTSE 100 are likely should the Fed sit on its hands. As the rest of the financial world bet yesterday on a grim winter ahead, the US markets were closed to mark Martin Luther King Day. Traders felt the lack of direction from the US contributed to yesterday’s falls in London. One said: “Investors were working on the worst assumptions for the opening tomorrow. Markets don’t like uncertainty, and the lack of guidance on the Dow meant some just sold more aggressively.” The UK market was dragged down by the heavily weighted mining giants, as the market has been hit by fears of waning demand for metals. Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, recently in talks over a $150bn merger, were the worst performers on the day, both shedding more than 10 per cent of their value. As the fear of recession looms, the banking sector tends to suffer: Royal Bank of Scotland fell 8.17 per cent to 342.75p; Lloyds TSB was down 6.92 per cent to 373.5p. Mr Isherwood said a US recession would not automatically point to a recession here: “It is more debatable whether the UK will fall into recession. There has been some strength here, and the fundamental data is quite mixed. In the US, it points one way.” It looked likely yesterday that the rest of the world would follow.
Davos: Wealth, Power and a Sprinkling of Stardust. The World Economic Forum gathers in a small town in Switzerland tomorrow. Who will be there, and what’s at stake? By Sean O’Grady The Financial Times, January 22, 2008 news.independent.co.uk/business/analysis_and_features/article3359088.ece From a suitably Olympian height, the world’s rich and powerful are descending on the Swiss ski resort of Davos by private jet, helicopter and limousine to right the world’s wrongs, network, take in a little practice time on the slopes, and cut a deal or two. At 5,000 feet above sea level, the thin air will be thick with gossip, speculation and, this year, talk of recession. Once, our now moribund political parties used to gather at dismal British seaside resorts for their conferences. There, away from the party committee rooms, the council chambers and Westminster, they would indulge in lively debate, varying amounts of intellectual stimulation and a good deal of drinking. Now the World Economic Forum at Davos performs the same function for the big beasts of global business and politics; a few days out in a nice little corner of the Alps where socialising, thinking and sleeping battle for the participant’s time. For a few days an obscene proportion of the world’s wealth and clout will be concentrated in one normally obscure Alpine town. Some 27 heads of state or government; 113 cabinet ministers; hundreds of chief executives, bankers, sovereign wealth fund managers, economists and the media: about 2,500 participants in all. This concentrated, eclectic mix of the top slice of humanity is part of the “magic” of this mountain redoubt. Where else, so the legend goes, might Gordon Brown find himself chatting over a cocktail with Sergey Brin? Or would we see Lakshmi Mittal sharing a plate of canapés with Ban Ki-moon? Or Carlos Ghosn chewing the fat with Mohamed ElBaradei? With everyone from Bill Gates and Bono to Rupert Murdoch and Condoleezza Rice and the scores of lesser personalities expected in, it is no wonder the place will be surrounded by barbed wire and intense security. If you’ve ever wanted to know what the Swiss army is for (apart from inventing handy little multi-tools), an attempt to penetrate the perimeter of Davos will tell you, as 5,000 troops do their bit to protect international capitalism from its enemies. The Swiss air force, such as it is, also does its bit to patrol the skies. Right now there is probably no more tempting a target for the ambitious terrorist. The WEF gets under way this week, and the formal title of the week’s proceedings, as ever, gives little away about the true agenda. “The Power of Collaborative Innovation”, while suggestive of the business elite’s obsessions with the pace of technological change, is unlikely to be a phrase that will drop easily from many lips during the hundreds of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, plenary sessions, “workshops”, parties and “nightcap” sessions that will exhaust even this most energetic cohort of gifted individuals until they return to the bosoms of their families – real and corporate – on Sunday. So who’s coming and what will they be chattering about? Well, apart from the luminaries already mentioned, the official co-chairs of the Forum are mostly well-known names: Tony Blair, of JP Morgan; James Dimon, chairman and CEO of JP Morgan; KV Kamath, MD and CEO of India’s ICICI Bank; Henry Kissinger, chairman of Kissinger Associates; Indra K Noovi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo;, David J O’Reilly, chairman and CEO of Chevron Corporation; and Wang Jianzhou, CEO of China Mobile Communications Corporation. The prominent role allotted to Mr Wang, while not entirely novel, is nonetheless significant. This year at Davos there will be fewer figures from Hollywood, and rather more representing the new forces in the global economy – the new transnationals based in China, India, other rapidly growing emerging economies and the sovereign wealth funds that those nations and the petro-states of the Gulf now command. The shift in the balance of world economic power eastwards will be apparent in the faces and accents around the seminars, chalets and hotel bars. Not since 9/11 has the Forum met in such a sombre mood. The prospects for the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China and their smaller satellite economies) have been one of the staples of international gatherings for years, but now the ruminations have a little more point to them. In 2008, for the first time, China will contribute more to the growth of the world economy than the United States. Double-digit growth in China should still just be possible this year, and it alone seems to stand between the world and a full-blown recession. Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) from China and elsewhere have already been busy re-capitalising the West’s stricken banks, often with a disregard for their own interests that borders on the philanthropic. The recycling of trillions of dollars of trade surpluses and petro dollars means that such deals will become more prevalent. Davos will provide one more opportunity for distressed American investment bankers to bump into munificent Singaporean or Qatari or Chinese SWF managers. There will also be plenty of time and space for the likes of Al Gore and the green lobby to weld their hopes and fears for the planet with the more immediate, but connected, economic agenda of soaring food and oil prices, imminent water shortages and the conundrum of nuclear power. So too will business leaders be able to get a first-hand take on the biggest single source of geopolitical instability in the world and, thus, the biggest threat to economic stability: the Middle East and central Asia. Condi Rice’s keynote message will likely concentrate on this, and with the presence of Tony Blair, the representative of the “Quartet” in the region, Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai and Israel’s Shimon Peres, we might expect some sort of initiative to come out of Davos. The conference has in the past been the scene of groundbreaking moves in the history of that region, and in the process of peaceful change in South Africa and eastern Europe after the fall of Communism. The WEF’s slogan – “Committed to Improving the State of the World” – is a reasonably sincere reflection of what can come out of this huge talking shop. So while we will miss Sharon Stone’s impromptu charity auctions, Brad Pitt’s unique contributions to economic thought and Richard Gere’s perspective on global economic imbalances, the useful purposes of Davos will be immeasurably improved by the presence of serious movers from the emerging economies. Apart from Bono, this year’s stardust quotient will be provided by Emma Thompson, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and the writer Paulo Coelho; more of a pleasant interlude than a threat to overshadow the whole event in meaningless celebrity hype. This is as it should be. The event has been growing in importance and prominence since its pioneering days in the early 1970s. In 1971 a German-born Swiss economist named Klaus Schwab hit upon the idea of an eclectic, informal, low-key, almost secretive gathering of the world’s most influential figures and founded a not-for-profit foundation to achieve his ends. In those days it had much in common with the Bilderberg group, but today the WEF has left its modest beginnings way behind and actively seeks out the attention of the world, whether it is to launch a campaign against World Poverty (as Gordon Brown and Bono did in 2005) or to balance the needs and aspirations of the old economies of the West, the emerging economies of the east and the still poor billions in the south. More than anything, the WEF can push some unwelcome and unpalatable home truths under the noses of the bankers and business execs. It can stimulate the conscience as well as the imagination. It can even perhaps offer intimations of human frailty. A few scrapes on theski slopes might even convince some that they are far from invincible. A broken leg or a dislocated shoulder can do wonders for humility. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,the creator of Sherlock Holmes, “discovered” the delights ofskiing in Davos more than a century ago, and through Holmes even offered a little homily on its benefits. As the great detective remarked, “on any man suffering from too much dignity, a course of skis would have a fine moral effect”. Who’s on-piste Tony Blair Our former prime minister,Middle East envoy and now part time adviser to JP Morgan will be back where he likes to be: at the centre of attention. Davos is atraditional place for old business and political acquaintanceship to be rekindled, so maybe a chat over a drink with Gordon Brown might thaw their notoriously frosty relations. Hank Paulson The US Treasury Secretary, and former Goldman Sachs chief, is bound to receive a careful hearing as the US economy moves steadily towards recession. Will President George Bush’s latest proposal to boost the American economy work? Bader al Sa’ad Former college basketball player and investment banker, who is now responsible for the Kuwaiti Investment Authority. One of the older of the now burgeoning breed of sovereign wealth funds. He has $3 trillion to play with; how many Western bankers will be looking to him to help them out of a sticky situation? Mukesh Ambani Typical emerging markets big beast. Chairman and chief executive of Reliance Industries of India, the mining and energy conglomerate. Personally worth $45bn, making him the sixth richest person in the world. Who wouldn’t want to share some fondue with him? Where to be seen this year Hotel Steigenberger Belvedere Where the bigwigs stay and scene of some of the best parties. Compared with this five-star establishment, little of importance goes on anywhere else in Davos, and some banks hire entire floors. This year, it’s the site of Google’s party, with Sergei Brin, Larry Page and assorted world leaders looking at the future of technology and sampling vintage wines while being entertained by the DJ and Kiss FM founder Norman Jay. Delegates can commiserate with Sir Wim Bischoff on Citigroup’s $10bn losses there on Friday night; while earlier in the week Arcelor Mittal plans a late-night “speakeasy” at the hotel. McDonald’s The golden arches can be found, incongruously perhaps, even in this remote corner of the world. Just as well, as it is Bill Gates’ favoured eaterie. For some, at the very top of the world, food is mere fuel, and the faster it is prepared and downed the better. Mr Gates sends out for his meals. Bill Gates session Talking of whom, perhaps the business highlight of the week will be Mr Gates’ session on the structural problems facing modern capitalism. He will be following a series of “brainstorming” sessions tomorrow where hundreds of chief executives will gather to debate and vote on fundamental challenges facing the world economy. Hotel Schatzalp This former sanatorium was a pioneering site for research into TB and the setting for Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain. It possesses a certain jaded Art Nouveau era beauty, and is perched precariously above the town on the Parsenn mountain. Famous for its hot chocolate these days, and the Barclays’ dinner. YouTube Way outside the hall, indeed covering the world, is the World Economic Forum’s “Big Question”: YouTube users are being asked, “What single thing can global leaders do to improve the world?” Hotel Europe Nightcaps are very popular, which makes the pace of Davos even more difficult to sustain. Try the piano bar of this Davos Platz institution, where Barry the cabaret singer will belt out Manilow and Queen covers. It’s said that Barry has met more global leaders than Elizabeth II.
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