By Luis Yerovi Jr.

The global conference on sustainable development is well under away in Johannesburg, South Africa. Thousands of people, including heads of states, economic leaders, social activists and representatives of minority groups, are gathered and debating the future of the planet. As expected, the major division lies somewhere between the priorities of the "developed" world and the concerns of the "developing" world. Finding ways in which these two worlds can intersect, while preserving and sustaining the environment or our life support system, will be the challenge of this summit.

Unfortunately, as the conference is coming to a close, it appears that these objectives will not be realized. In fact, the conference's potential for success was undermined from its start. First, George Bush Jr., the president of the world's only superpower and representative of the most economically influential country, chose not to attend this conference. Without support from the United States, any initiatives reached in Johannesburg will be hard to implement from theory to practice.

Further, it has been difficult to convince powerful special interest groups from the "first" world to alter their business practices. A most glaring example is that of agricultural entities from the United States, Europe and Japan, who depend on government subsidies to produce goods at below cost. These goods are then "dumped" into international markets, minimizing the ability of local farmers to compete and reap profit. This cycle drives millions of people into a level of poverty they cannot emerge from.

In addition to the lack of American support and the obtuseness of vested "first" world interests, the initial rhetoric of the conference suggests that development is being prioritized over sustainability. This in and of itself is not a bad thing. The fact remains that the only real way out of poverty is through development and growth. However, "development" is being dictated by the multinational corporations who see cheap labor markets as a panacea to their bottom line and not as human beings deserving of living wages. In reality, this type of market dictated "development," although it may contribute to a marginal and temporary lifting of financial standards for a select few, will eventually drag the working masses to the bottom rung of a merciless capitalistic system which has historically only been able to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

By caring exclusively about development and not sustainability, the local and global environment become at risk. Pernicious secondary effects such as air and water pollution, depletion of nonrenewable resources, decreased biodiversity, deforestation and global warming lurk around any industrial development project. Other effects include a loss of culture and community that comes from the urbanization of a society.

The development that the multinationals are advocating consists of bringing the "have nots" into their industrialized capitalist system to produce cheap goods for consumption in the Western world. There is little interest in encouraging local businesses from producing goods for local use and exportation. High tariffs and subsidized western produce prevent this from being a profitable venture though it would of course be in the best interest of the local people.

On the flip side, very little mention is made in reference to consumption patterns, which are characterized by excess and waste, among "developed" peoples. A prime example is American oil addiction and their gas guzzling cars. Artificially low gasoline prices, allow for wasteful consumption. If the development strategy advocated by the multinationals is actualized without a decrease in the consumption habits of the "haves", the summed realities of our remaining natural resources will not be enough to cover the resulting consumption needs of a saturated capitalist world. This becomes specially true if there is a lack of consensus to decrease our consumption of nonrenewable energy resources and develop renewable sources such as solar and wind energy.

In light of the above, it is painfully evident that this summit will not contribute enough to growing global concerns of poverty, environmental jeopardy and sustainable development for developing countries. The path to "development" falls on "our", those of us from third world countries, shoulders.

The solution may be more accessible than we think. After all, the human right's revolution has given us access to the "tools" and "ideologies" needed to protect us from global corporate tyranny and local despots. Among these resources are the rule of democracy and laws versed in universal human rights. That means we can direct our own future by becoming involved. Read, question, volunteer, work, protest. But most importantly, VOTE!

Electing the right leaders for us, who will represent our agenda and not work to appease selfish or foreign interests is the crucial first step.

These leaders, which we must find, create or become, will:

1- Fight towards ending corruption. Corruption robs us of the wealth of our homelands, prevents foreign investment and poisons our will to work honestly.

2- Foster an independent judicial system which incorporates a "check and balance" regulatory apparatus. Development can absolutely not occur without a sound legal system.

3- Strive to involve and educate all of its citizens. He/she must recognize that diversity of thought and practice is amongst our greatest treasures in a globalized market place.

4- Stop reinforcing historical trends of racism and sexism. A fragmented society provides an unstable and infertile ground for growth. Unfortunately, the third world is at double jeopardy, given that they have inherited the legacy of colonialism which was based on the premise of "divide and conquer". These societies, which are often made up of a myriad of ethnic groups and cultures, must learn to unite on the basis of a common goal. Redressing past wrongs, creating equality of potential and moving the collective society in a forward direction will prove to be difficult but never impossible. The alternatives are less attractive and include revolution, anarchy, extermination or a slow painful death.

5- Courageously stand up to the pressures of American corporate imperialism (IMF, World Bank). Efforts made to appease these interests can be redirected into protocols for designing and creating sustainable development programs which will meet our needs within our own existentialist reality.

6- Work with other leaders of developing countries to form a united front from which to be able to deal with the powerful countries of the world. The power of numbers will help us obtain trade concessions otherwise not possible as smaller entities.

If such leaders can be found, our countries will "develop" in ways that are sustainable and which will allow us--peasant to professional alike--to regain and maintain our human authenticity and dignity. From this position, we can work towards helping the "first" world reclaim their diminished humanity; a humanity diminished from being immersed in the never-ending "rat-race" created by corporate and individual greed.