Time to wake up to humanity...

By Martyn Davies
First created 20 March 2009 | Last updated 06 February 2010

Have you noticed a shift in global attitudes in recent times? Do you care about the environment, starvation in the developing world, lack of access to clean drinking water and treatments for preventable diseases? These are just a few of the problems facing our world and they have been ignored for far too long. We have no excuse for this and have always, particularly in the era of globalisation, had the power to deal with it. At last it feels like the world is waking up.

We live in a world where a minority have extreme wealth and the majority are struggling. Why are we in this situation? Greed and power. These are the main factors hindering development. A country's economic status ultimately determines how powerful it is and as such we live in protectionist societies, i.e. protecting the interests of our own countries. This may explain why governments aren't rushing to invest the billions required for the colossal task of eradicating these problems, but something is happening. The global community is starting to realise that equality and justice should not just apply to their own country. We are a globalised community and as such we have a duty to protect on a global scale.

What's required is a realistic approach and an acknowledgment that capitalism isn't going to disappear anytime soon. We need to change the system from the inside and this can only happen with active involvement from government. Developed countries cannot keep trading with the global community whilst hindering progress in the developing world. They continue to get richer whilst the poorer nations they are trading with are getting poorer. That was a 20th century model....we need a 21st century model that is inclusive of all, a model that will apply to all business and make amends for the problems it has created. Consumerism and capitalism have been the root causes of our systematic destruction of the world, but people are starting to wake up. It is becoming all the more apparent that unregulated free market capitalism is not the most responsible way forward. It has taken mass destruction due to global warming, an energy crisis and near meltdown of the financial markets for this to be realised but we're getting there!

There is the utopian ideal that one day the main objective of business will not be to make money but to make a difference to the human race and the world. This may happen one day but it will be a long time in the future, so we have to do what we can now. Capitalism is one of the major factors contributing to the problems of the developing world but it can also repair some of the damage. Who says you can't have a socialist capitalist system? Corporate responsibility is the beginning of this but it needs a more pro-active approach. Regulatory bodies need to ensure every company is paying its way in the world, especially if they're involved with the importation of goods and services from developing countries. It is these exporting countries that pay the highest price for our consumerism. For too long the centralised power structures, dealing with international trade and the developing world, have been far more interested in the progress of the developed world whilst paying little or no regard to international development. We're not playing a fair game. We need to offer more than just aid....long term investment is the key and along with the correct international regulation, lasting free and fair trade can be achieved.

There needs to be change within the World Trade Organisation....more representation for developing countries and fairer distribution of global trade and investment. An example of current mismanagement is the dumping of subsidised goods from developed countries onto the developing. This makes it difficult for local business to grow and it needs to stop. We need to open up our markets to the developing world, pay fair prices for those goods and services whilst at the same time ensure the people who make those goods are paid a fair wage and their working conditions are within a recognised international standard. It will require tough regulation within those countries and the effective enforcement of corporate liability for those who break the international laws. That includes ensuring lobby groups used by big business do not have excessive influence when company practices are challenged. The Fairtrade brand is a good start but it doesn't even skim the surface.

Another example of how business can make a difference is their participation in carbon offsetting. Current technology means that companies produce a lot of carbon dioxide and so to be held accountable for this they can now buy carbon credits. This should be compulsory to all business. It's often referred to as putting a band-aid on a bullet wound but until we have clean technology on a mass scale this is the logical way forward. These initiatives do work as the credits go towards funding environmental projects around the world, an example of this would be funding areas of rainforest so it can be designated for conservation where it may otherwise have been used for logging. These projects are also being turned into tradable investments on the stock market, known as sustainable investments. It's early days but the signs are it could be an effective way of protecting large areas of rainforest. There should be more projects like these linked to business and they should cover all areas of conservation and development.

Equality and justice are now widely recognised as important factors not only in our progression as human beings but also as stabilising factors in the world. War and civil unrest are aligned with poverty and injustice. Without the correct investment in developing countries those governments cannot provide law and order, which in turn provides the stability needed for economic growth. Due to a lack of vision in the past we're now in a situation where we have emerging countries investing billions in war torn areas of Africa with no strings attached as long as huge amounts of raw materials can be obtained. Darfur would be an example of how unconditional trading with repressive regimes hinders progress. It is not unreasonable to request some conditions i.e. limits on military spending, when negotiating with a country facing genocide, displacement and starvation to name a few of its problems. People in power are inherently corrupt where large sums of money are concerned so checks should be made to ensure those funds reach the people who need it. Investment in developing countries should improve the lives of its citizens. It should improve infrastructure, provide jobs, set up basic sanitation and provide healthcare. At a basic level these funds should at least provide food, water, medicine and housing.

What can we do? Get involved....sign up to the Oxfam website where your voice can be heard through petitions to government, sponsor a child and their community, participate in a sponsored event, give a couple of pounds a month to a cause or just search for other means of involvement that will suit you. We can all make a difference and now is the time to act. The media must be involved, it is often used as the voice of government but if we're actively involved and it's used effectively it can also be the voice of the people.

Every generation has a responsibility to look after the next and that includes protecting the global environment they will inherit. So if you haven't already....wake up!!