MASSIVE ROWS are expected to sully the much vaunted Earth Summit taking place in Rio, Brazil in June. The event is still expected to be the world's largest ever summit, with 160 heads of state anticipaled to pay a visit for at least one day of the 11 day affair.
But prospects for solving the rapid ly escalating global ecological de aster aro eflectively nil Fiteen weeks of intensive preparations for the event have shown the real barrier 1o ecological progress.
The US administration's line-that free trade and the environment are separate issues, and that free trade must prevail - is not officially questioned.
Maurice Strong, director general of Environment and Development be 'serious falures' at the Earth Summit.
Many environmental and Third Works campaigners had hoped that the summt wouk chart a course for a new era of sustainable development, linking global economic well-being with ecological common sense. Their hopes wil be dashed in Rio.
There was never any prospect that his Earth Summit would produce a radical strategy for solving the works's ecological crisis in tandem with an equitable economic development plan for Third Work countrins.
Both can only be solved by taking on the real roots of the problem - free trade, anance captar, the transnaton al corporations (TNCs), and imperialist foreign polky.
It is worth looking at some details of what UNCED - hardly a hotbead of revolutionary socialists- wanted, and who is opposing these minimal demands:
• banning of shipments of all toxic across national borders. US and EC lead opposition.
• TNCs must accept environmental liabilty. Opposed by US, Britain and Japan.
• country of origin of plants and animals to share in comuse. Opposed by US and • salety standards in development of new products. Opposed by US. Britain and others.
• ending the testing of fertilty drugs on women in developiny countries. Opposed by US, Britain and others.
accentance that cause of environmental Cegradation. Opposed by US.
• acceptance of role of military in environmental degradation. Opposed by US, Japan ano india • for a work convention on deser. tification. Opposed by Britain and others.
• for the rights of indigenous peoples to determine their own development. Substantially diluted This last point will be the subject of intense lobbying at the summe. The lares ever gaton of mostenous peoples will be taking place in Rio to push their case.
1992 is the 500th aniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the There are now huge popular movements on the continent to defend their rights BUS PASSENÇERS ARE AVISED IO BUT A CAR sustu