Americas Quarterly

hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The floods were linked to El Niño, a weather phenomenon aggravated by global warming. In a Reuters report, President Evo Morales blamed pollution from developed nations for the erratic and devastating weather. He had a valid point. The same article cited a warning by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that the world’s poor, who are the least responsible for global

^Establish ^a ^task warming, suffer the most from force to develop ^climate ^change.

In Bolivia, the effects of

^{international} global warming are already policy aimed upon us. The changes are

equally dramatic elsewhere in
^at ^curbing the world. If we do not act, the
global carbon impacts on the global commu-
nity will be catastrophic, with
^emissions, effects ranging from political
including the destabilization to widespread
violence. Action is imperative.
^introduction The private sector can play
of additional a critical role. In Bolivia, the
government has partnered
^multilateral with American Electric Power,
^incentiv:^es. ^PacificCorp ^and ^BP ^to ^{cre- ate} ^Noel ^Kempff ^Mercado ^Na-tional Park, a 3.7-million-acre _park _in _the _northern _part _ofthe country. The project is a
result of an international car-
bon-trading model to save for-
ests called Reducing Emissions
from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation (REDD). REDD, de-
veloped by policymakers, sci-
entists and conservationists,
compensates countries for re-
ducing emissions from defor-
estation. The ultimate goal is
to spark substantial invest-
ments in tropical countries to

preserve rainforests and drive economic improvements to local communities. While the Noel Kempff project and others like it in Belize, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Madagascar do not have full environmentalist support because they are seen as an easy “get-out-of-trouble” card for polluters, the world is watching closely, with high hopes that such projects can be models for future initiatives.

Andean countries are also exploring alternative water supply sources, and diversifying their energy supply. They are hoping to develop alternative crops and advanced irrigation systems. According to the World Bank, efforts to design adaptation measures, implement regional strategic pilots and support continuous observation of the impact on the region are underway.

But more needs to be done, and the world is in desperate need of authentic, bold leadership on the global warming front. A positive first step would be for the U.S. government to publicly and unequivocally acknowledge the threat and consequences of global warming. We must recognize the problem to solve it. In addition, because of the urgency of the problem, the U. S. could quickly:

• Embark on a publicly funded educational campaign that teaches U.S. citizens and businesses that their daily actions, and those of other leading carbon footprint

nations, have a permanent global impact, as evidenced by the shrinking glaciers in Bolivia.

• Establish a task force composed of the world’s leading carbon emissions polluters to develop international policy aimed at curbing global carbon emissions, including the introduction of additional multilateral incentives, fining nations and businesses that fail to modify their practices to conform to new standards and establishing an independent multinational commission to study global warming on an ongoing and unbiased basis. Unlike past efforts, any new initiatives need real teeth to be effective.

• Increase incentives for the preservation of tropical rainforests by supporting initiatives like REDD or introducing similar programs.

Ultimately, we need the world to take an aggressive first step, and the U.S. is best positioned to do so effectively, quickly and with lasting results.

Notwithstanding, over the past decade, the U.S. has failed to align itself with the core initiatives of the Kyoto Protocol. Environmentalists and foreign governments have blamed U.S. bias toward developing economies and its reluctance to pressure its large domestic industries responsible for high carbon emissions. The U.S. is the greatest producer

The most important economic challenge today is energy,
youth
speak
out
and the next president should focus on research for alternative
fuel sources, helping the environment and our pocketbooks.