Climate change and global warming are certainly dangerous for the peoples of the planet, and they should be the central concern of all leaders attending the Copenhagen Summit, which will run until the 18th of the month. However, the measures that are being studied to produce a new Copenhagen Agreement, should be balanced for all sides, whether they are industrial countries, poor countries or oil-producing states. The goal of the countries taking part in the Copenhagen summit, which number more than 110 in terms of official representation, involves producing an agenda for reducing temperatures by 2 degrees by 2020 and preventing the sea from gradually swallowing up dry land, by pumping billions of dollars from industrial countries into poor countries in order to avoid cutting down forests, and halt desertification and the disappearance of millions of living creatures. The central issue of Copenhagen is one that concerns human life and health, and the evolution of the environment in which we live. When one visits countries such as Egypt, India and China, and even a small country like Lebanon, one realizes the extent to which these people need their environment to be rescued from the disaster that is growing, with no radical treatment in sight. However, many of the measures taken by industrial countries, on the pretext that they are to protect the environment, are actually a burden on developing and oil-producing countries for instance. Dr. Mohammed Sabban, the head of Saudi Arabia's mission to the climate change talks, points out that one expert's estimate of the annual losses from tax policies on gasoline, in addition to subsidies on alternative energy, such as agricultural goods and biofuel, are in excess of more than $19 billion a year for an oil-producing country like Saudi Arabia. Oil-producing states and a number of oil companies are demanding balanced measures, in order to protect the planet from global warming, as long as they alone do not bear the burden of these measures. This is especially the case because the big countries that will generate the increase in demand for oil in the coming years will be China, India and Brazil. These countries should not have to pay the price of tax measures and laws that impede their growth. Saudi Arabia is being represented at Copenhagen by a big delegation, headed by its minister of oil, Ali al-Nuaymi, and will take part in it from 13 December. It will demonstrate, contrary to what is being said, that Saudi Arabia calls for protecting the planet from climate change. However, it is calling for the burdens to be shared equally by all parties. In fact, if environmental steps are taken to limit the use of petroleum, the question arises: why are so many international companies rushing to invest in Iraqi oil? In the next few days, the Iraqi Oil Ministry will begin the second round of bidding by companies to develop its giant fields. With these contracts, Iraq's productive capacity will reach, in the space of around six years, around 6 million barrels a day of oil. Thus, why is there a rush to invest in production and developing the productive capacity of oil countries, if industrial countries are seeking to limit the use of oil and replace it with agricultural commodities, depriving poor states of foodstuffs, which are being used on the pretext of environmental protection? The issue of protecting the environment is a fundamental and significant one. However, it should be a balanced process, well studied, and free of politicization, so that it can truly protect the world's people from environmental catastrophes. Some politicians in a number of Arab states have realized the importance of protecting the environment, and they have begun to work on producing the relevant legislation. However, it will be a long journey, because it requires wide-scale awareness from the school level and curricula. One of these politicians is Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who has ideas and an integrated program with regard to the issue of waste disposal and the environment in general. This is very encouraging in a country like Lebanon, where environmental matters have been neglected up to now. In fact, environmental degradation is very dangerous for a people, as we have seen from the pollution in Egypt, India, China and Iran. The Copenhagen Summit must produce a balanced agreement for all, and real action on limiting global warming and the pollution of our water and air. Copenhagen should be an important milestone on the long path toward this goal, and the important thing is for the measures to be balanced and fair to all!
