- Melissa O., Lauren S., Katelyn K., Tiffany Y.

What is the current situation regarding global homelessness? (Written by Myrel Agbayani)

Picture found at: http://www.takingitglobal.org/images/understanding/topics/Homelessness.jpg

Homelessness is found all over the world, and the homeless population
grows continuously every day. According to a 1996 United Nations
report, 500 million people were homeless or residing in low-quality
housing and unsanitary conditions in 1995 (1). In 2005, the rough
estimate of global homelessness was down to 100 million people due to
the difficulty in measuring it. Also, over 1 billion are living in
inadequate housing, which would lead to a huge increase in the homeless
population once the housing is not suitable to live in. It is
difficult to attain the exact number of people in the global homeless population
because there is limited or non-existent data provided for every
country. Also, every country has its own definition of homelessness
and its own approach to service provision. Because of these
differences, it’s much harder to combine or compare data accurately (3).


Global homelessness is caused by the same factors that lead to local
and national homelessness. These factors are poor decision-making,
health problems, mental illness, drug or alcohol addiction, domestic
violence, lack of education and job skills, environmental disasters, or
just bad luck. There is also the usual problem of housing cots and
their availability. Because of this, the number of households in a
single home are increasing rapidly (3). Homelessness is also caused by
breakdowns in traditional family support systems, continued urbanization
and the effects of structural adjustment programs and civil wars (1).
According to the Special Rapporteur on Right to Adequate Housing, “The
driving forces behind homelessness are poverty; rapid economic
globalization, which has worsened inequality in housing and land
ownership; increasing tends towards privatization of public services
and land speculation; lack of affordable housing options; unplanned and
involuntary urban migration; large-scale development and infrastructure
projects, including dams that have lead to mass displacement; and
ongoing conflicts around the world” (4). Due to the lack of nutrition,
homeless children and adults suffer many medical problems. The
children may suffer from chronic and recurring physical ailments,
higher rates of fever and colds. They have a greater incidence of
infections, fatigue, headaches and anemia. For the adults, their
problems include, anemia, gastric ulcers, hypertension, acute and
chronic diseases, diabetes and malnutrition (1).

There are things being done to resolve this problem though.
Organizations such as the Food Research and Action Center, America’s
Second Harvest, the Center on Hunger and Poverty, Bread for the World,
World Hunger Year, and the Food Industry Crusade Against Hunger
coordinate with other food banks and food assistance programs and
encourage policy makers to expand and protect programs aiding the
homeless (1). Also, there is something known as the Homeless World
Cup. 48 countries and 500 homeless people look forward to this event
each year. This year it will be held in Cape Town from September 23rd
to the 30th (5). Due to this event, many are greatly affected. 38%
already have regular employment and 40% have improved their housing
situation. For more percentages, click here: http://www.streetsoccer.org/_pdf/44a28c403e57c.pdf

(1) http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Hea-Irr/Homelessness.html
(2) http://www.takingitglobal.org/understanding/poverty/homeless
(3)
http://www.homebaseccc.org/site_extras/11.18.05Global%20Homelessness.pdf
(4) http://www.hic-net.org/articles.asp?PID=223
(5) http://www.streetsoccer.org/
(6) http://www.streetsoccer.org/_pdf/44a28c403e57c.pdf

What should be done about global homelessness? (Written by Traci Aoki)

According to a United Nations report, currently five hundred million people around the world are either homeless or living in low-quality housing and are in danger of becoming homeless (4). With so many people being affected by this problem, something must be done to fight it. Homelessness is a tremendous problem, and there are many steps that must be taken if it is to ever end.
First, more affordable housing must be built. In many countries, prices of homes are rising rapidly as a result of other problems such as economic inflation and overpopulation. However, obtaining permanent housing is a crucial step for those trying to get their lives back on track and improve their futures. Once they have secured homes for themselves, they can focus on fixing other problems in their lives holding them back. Furthermore, in many developing countries, it can be difficult for homeless individuals to find and maintain a job when they have no phone number or permanent address, not to mention a place in which to change their clothes and bathe. In order to change their lives around, they need to obtain some sort of home. Therefore, governments must grant more funding to the construction of subsidized housing. They can raise money for this by increasing taxes. Now, as mentioned in the national portion, taxpayers may complain about having the pay raised taxes to finance the building of affordable housing. However, in many developed countries, a large portion of taxes is used to pay for services for the homeless and poor such as Medicaid. If these people obtained homes and became stabilized, taxpayers would actually save money. Therefore, paying taxes now to help fund the construction of supportive housing will ultimately benefit them as well. Furthermore, the governments can also decrease military spending and use some of it to fund the housing. War is one of the major causes of homelessness throughout the world, destroying homes and villages, and tearing families apart (1). Moreover, a tremendous amount of natural resources and funding is put into military expansion, something that can only lead to more homelessness. The government should take a portion of these resources and money and put it to better use: funding the construction of more affordable housing. As for undeveloped and developing countries, as much money as possible should be set aside by governments to help pay for more housing for their citizens. Individuals can help by donating money to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, which builds simple, affordable housing all around the globe.
In addition to housing, more money should be used to build transitional and emergency shelters. People living on streets are extremely vulnerable to changes in weather and in some places, can actually freeze to death. For example, in Ireland people die on the streets weekly as a result of a lack of housing and services (5). Homeless people are also often targets of violence and abuse, and would be much safer in shelters, where they are also given food and access to services and programs. Federal grants should be used to help fund existing shelters, as well as the construction of additional ones. The money used for this could come from increased taxes as well as decreased military spending in developed nations. As for undeveloped and developing countries, many of them are ridden with debt to foreign nations and are therefore unable to fund the building of housing and shelters for their homeless citizens. Perhaps developed nations, especially the G-8 nations, could consider canceling these debts and even give countries with serious homeless problems long-term, low-interest-rate loans to help finance the construction.
Next, some cities in developed countries have laws prohibiting such things as “loitering”, “pan-handling”, and “vagrancy”, and allow police to arrest individuals who break these laws (2). In other words, homeless are prohibiting form residing outdoors and from begging. However, by arresting homeless people and giving them criminal records, all police are doing is making it even more difficult for them to secure and maintain jobs. Rather, these laws should be revoked, and instead of putting homeless in prison, police should guide them to shelters where they can receive the attention and assistance they need to get their lives back on track. Police, shelters, and service providers should all work together to help homeless populations as best as possible.
Another important step in the fight against homelessness is understanding. In order to get to the “root of the problem” and find the best solutions, the government must grant additional funding for research and data collection on this issue. Doing so will also allow organizations to better meet the needs of the homeless population and tell service providers if they need to update certain services. Besides this, data collection can give organizations a better idea of the main factors that lead to homelessness and how to prevent the problem.
One of the factors leading to homelessness is the inability to afford both food and shelter. When faced with a choice between the two, people will usually choose food, considering shelter the lower priority (4). More money needs to be given to food banks and shelters so that homeless and potentially homeless will be provided with adequate meals. If they no longer have to worry about scrounging up enough money to pay for their next meals, they no longer have to make a choice between food and shelter, and can focus all of their efforts on securing and maintaining housing. However, besides relieving homeless individuals from having to make a choice between food and shelter, extra funding for shelters and food banks is needed because having a good diet is extremely important. According to the Institute of Medicine, there are about 100,000 children homeless in the U.S. every night (4). There are millions more around the world. Many of these children rely on shelters and food banks for most of their food. Unfortunately, these meals are often very limited in nutritional value and are usually “high in salt, fat, preservatives, and empty calories” (4). Moreover, according to studies, a poor diet during childhood often causes long-term health and cognitive problems, which can compromise the children’s ability to find and maintain employment in the future. Therefore, shelters and food banks need additional funding so they can provide the homeless with better quality food. They can get this money from either private donations from individuals and organizations, or from the government.
In addition to food and housing assistance, other services for the homeless and the potentially homeless are essential in helping them. However, the services needed by homeless populations vary in different areas, as the conditions being experienced by them are also different. For example, in the U.S. and other developed countries where some of the main causes of homelessness are domestic violence, mental illness, and addiction disorders, needed services include counseling, mental health facilities, and substance abuse programs. For these services, governments should increase taxes to help fund them, as they are crucial in helping people re-build their lives. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, taxpayers will ultimately save money by helping to fund these services now. In sub-Saharan Africa however, there are currently twenty five million orphaned children, twelve million of which were orphaned because of the AIDS epidemic (3). In addition to these kids, many millions more have parents who are ill and are unable to work, leaving the children the responsibility of providing for the entire family. As a result, kids have to drop out of school to get jobs and care for their sick parents (3). This is wrong; children should not be giving up education to watch over their parents. African countries should provide the needy families with services such as free education, access to free health care, food, and water. Kenya has tried out an idea in which cash grants were given directly to children most in need of the extra assistance. In this “project” five hundred households are given about $6.50 per “vulnerable or orphaned child” each month. While that amount may seem extremely small to us, it had a tremendous impact on those receiving the payments. Families had “better access to education and health care and improved nutrition” (3). Their standards of living rose from being given just that small amount of money. The other sub-Saharan African countries should follow Kenya in enacting this plan. However, funding for all of these services will be difficult to obtain. Hopefully private donations from individuals and organizations will be given to help pay for them. The governments of the countries themselves should create larger budgets to address these problems as well. Finally, as previously mentioned, wealthy developed countries should relieve these poorer nations of their past debts. This will allow the governments more money to spend on these services.
Finally, in order to solve worldwide homelessness, the homeless problem must first be tackled on a local and national level. How can we solve global homelessness when we currently have three million homeless individuals in our own country? Sure, we can help undeveloped and developing nations by lending and donating money to help them out. However, if homelessness is ever to end, each country must take responsibility for their own citizens and take adequate action to improve their living situations. Only once a country has eradicated its own homeless problem can it fully focus on helping others.

1) http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_n3/v25/ai_6811552
2) http://www.nscahh.org/hunger.asp?id2=8800
3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4631911.stm
4) http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Hea-Irr/Homelessness.html
5) http://www.focusireland.ie/htm/housing_homelessness/facts_figures/causes.htm

Realistically, what can be done about the issue of global homelessness? (Written by Tierney Morikawa)

"On paper, [adequate housing for all] is...one of humanity's priorities. 'Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health & well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing & medical care, and necessary social services ...'

These words, from Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, were written 50 years ago. Yet, as we approach the end of the 20th century, at least one out of five members of the human family doesn't 'have a proper home to live in."
(From the September 1998 issue of Share International) (1)

What are the "powers at be" not doing?

When we look at global homelessness, we see that there is a lot more that should be done to combat the issue. However, part of the problem lies in the fact that the global homeless population is substantially large. In fact, the poverty level is so high in some third-world countries that the majority of the population could be considered homeless (on “American” standards). Many countries do not have the government infrastructure and money to aid their own citizens, and many that do have the resources are faced with other social and economic problems (in addition to the issue of homelessness) that also require government funds. Just like the U.S. government, these governments also have to make decisions as to where the money should go, and many governments place homelessness and international aid low on their priority list. The United States government, above all, spends a tremendous amount of money every year on its military. The U.S. Federal Budget for the 2006 fiscal year appropriated $410.8 billion to the “Defense-Military”, where as the “Housing & Urban Development” and “State & Other International Programs” funds were only granted $34.1 billion and $30.2 billion respectively (2). Yet war, itself, is a major cause of homelessness, driving innocent women, children, and families from their homes each year (3). Therefore, we are, in effect, spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a war that is exacerbating the problem of homelessness and causing thousands of innocent people to become refugees. In actuality, are we not creating more problems in our world?

Picture found at: http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20040504_73.jpg

Moreover, through warfare we create homeless problems internationally, but we and other wealthy nations fail to provide sufficient monetary aid to other countries in need of assistance. A report written by Anup Shah entitled The U.S. and Foreign Aid Assistance states that “there was an EU pledge to spend 0.56% of GNI on poverty reduction by 2010, and 0.7% by 2015. However, the donor governments promised to spend 0.7% of GNI on ODA (Official Development Assistance) at the UN General Assembly in 1970—some 35 years ago as of writing. The deadline for reaching that target was the mid-1970s.” Shah further states that “almost all rich nations fail this obligation.” He says, “Even though these targets and agendas have been set, year after year almost all rich nations have constantly failed to reach their agreed obligations of the 0.7% target. Instead of 0.7%, the amount of aid has been around 0.2 to 0.4%, some $100 billion short.” One can see from the charts (below) for 2005 that the U.S.’s dollar amount spent on ODA is significantly higher than all other countries. However, looking at the percentages of GNI, we see that the U.S.’s grant is lower than every other country’s but Portugal’s, and far lower than the UN target of 0.7% (4).

Click on the thumbnail below to see the enlarged graphs of the Official Development Assistance Numbers and Percentages in 2005:

Charts found at: http://www.globalissues.org/i/aid/netoda2005.png

(To view the full report entitled The U.S. and Foreign Aid Assistance click here:http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp)

Therefore, perhaps our nation (and other nations with high military budgets) should be spending less money on war and more money on homelessness programs and international Official Development Assistance. Who knows? Maybe our international relations would improve, if we were dropping monetary grants on our neighbors’ soil rather than explosive weapons. Maybe we wouldn’t “need” such a large military budget, if we cared enough to reach out to people in need on a global scale.

What impact could you have to change the current situation?

- You can give monetary donations or volunteer some of your time to the American Red Cross (year-round or during emergencies). You can also join their mailing list to receive monthly news, tips, and disaster updates. Visit http://www.redcross.org/ for more information. (*Note: The Red Cross consists of several chapters and operates worldwide.)

- If you are handy with a hammer and saw, (or are willing to learn how to become handy with a hammer and saw), you might consider building houses for the poor and homeless with Habitat for Humanity. This organization operates on the local, national, and global levels. To find more information about this organization visit http://www.habitat.org

- If you are a compassionate, dedicated person who is willing to devote himself/herself to fighting international poverty and homelessness for an extended period of time, you might consider joining the Peace Corps (http://www.peacecorps.gov/).

- If you are eighteen years of age or older, you can also have an impact politically. Let your voice be heard through your vote. If you care about stopping the spread of homelessness, vote for candidates who have homelessness and international aid as high priorities on their agendas.

For more information on homeless relief organizations or on how you can help to end global homelessness, visit one or more of the following websites below:

http://www.bread.org/learn/links.html

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatyoucando/act_now/fast/sponsors

http://www.homeless.org/sp/Homeless+Resources

http://www.homeless.org.au/directory/

What might the future global homelessness problem look like if conditions continue in their present state indefinitely?

While we might never be able to eliminate homelessness completely, we do have the power to taper the problem. If our world population continues to grow at its rapid rate and we do not address the issue of homelessness, our problems will only worsen. As a student Homeless Resource Guide stated, “Another cause of national and international homelessness is that of overpopulation. The earth might seem large and unlimited, but the natural resources needed to sustain human life are finite. This problem becomes clear when there are too many people living in one place… If you were to visit Calcutta, India’s capital city, you would see millions of thin, sickly people who sleep in the streets and beg for food” (2). As cities grow, so does the problem of homelessness. A country can undergo development; but if it does not have a firm foundation to support its poorer citizens, the country can only progress so far. Moreover, as a country develops, property values increase, and it becomes increasingly difficult for people to obtain affordable housing. Therefore, the housing issues must be addressed now before countries attempt further development.
Executive Coordinator of Habitat in Nairobi, Kenya, Daniel Biau, says, “International agencies have not yet understood that the 21st century will be the century of cities. Poverty and homelessness will more and more be concentrated there, and the international community has to do more to help developing countries” (1). If we do not address the international homelessness problem now, we are failing as human citizens. We have a responsibility to take care of one another. Richer individuals and nations have the responsibility to aid poorer ones. This is our opportunity to express compassion on a local, national and global level. This is our opportunity to prove that adequate housing for all is one of humanity’s top priorities.

Sources:

(1) http://www.shareintl.org/archives/homelessness/hl-mlaroof.htm

(2) http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2007/pdf/07msr.pdf

(3) http://www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/is/homeless/middle/lesson6_middle.html

(4) http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp

The issues that we are considering revolve around electrical energy, which is converted from some other form, most popularly, the form of fossil fuels. This form has an extreme concentration of energy, so it may come to no surprise that this plentiful and relatively cheap form is the most popular. Burning just one tablespoon of gasoline will provide the same energy as a brick traveling at 150 miles per hour! Such fossil fuels take millions of years, on geological timescales, to form, but since the industrial revolution, we’ve been thoughtlessly burning this attractive but limited energy source, until recently. Today we see how this source is limited, and we have, to some extent, been using other sources too.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Britain was the wealthiest and most powerful country. Not surprisingly, it had huge quantities of coal and made good use of the steam engine. Britain was economically unparalleled by every other country, due to not only its material resources, but also its extensive energy.

Coal Miners from England
http://www.scan.org.uk/education/coal/img/home_img.jpg

During the industrial revolution, coal was the most important fuel. At the turn of the century, when the automobile was becoming popular gasoline suddenly went into high demand. However now, with dwindling fossil fuel supplies, hybrid cars have come into demand, due to the recent increases in oil costs. Nuclear energy is the other major energy source now. In 1957, the first commercial nuclear plant began operating. Today, nuclear energy is widely used in developed countries, and is the source of 20% of the United States’ electrical energy.

But the dwindling of fossil fuels is where our problem here emerges. Recently, we all know about the great rises in the cost per barrel of oil, but I would like to mention two significant events, that both occurred in the 1970s.

The first was in 1973, during the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced that it would be no longer exporting to countries in support of Israel, including, of course, the United States and Western Europe. This is called an oil shock, when the supply goes down suddenly and the price jumps. A similar event would take place again in 1979, due to a disruption in Iranian exports, because of the Iranian Revolution.

Recently, we have been hearing about nearly all U.S. interest in the Middle East revolving around the oil there. People will have different opinions on this because of political views, but in this day and age, it certainly cannot be ignored how reliant most of the world is on Middle-Eastern oil.

The Present Day Energy Crisis and Oil Peak by Kevin Service

Energy is the hot topic in today’s technological world. We constantly hear words like, “Energy crisis,” and “alternative forms of energy” and all of this chatter is for one thing: the need to supply energy. It is almost inarguable that there is a controversy revolving around energy, some may say that we’re doing fine, and some will say that we need to change our methods of obtaining energy. Accusations are being thrown at oil companies for being too greedy, and not revealing to the public the extent of the “crisis.” Oil is one of the most talked about issues nowadays. Oil is mainly used for transportation purposes, heating, and producing plastics and synthetic fibers. Some experts warn that we have reached an “Oil Peak” which is the point where the population of the world is consuming more oil then its inhabitants can find. Other experts disagree and say we won’t for another decade, and even other experts declare that we won’t reach the Oil Peak for another couple decades. The problem occurs when people become to busy arguing about when this issue will happen and aren’t spending time and resources into forms of energy that will last for hundreds of years. The involvement of the United States in the Middle East is often criticized as a bid for oil, but no officials have made this an official declaration.

http://www.jakeg.co.uk/dissertation/peak_oil.gif

Another ‘energy’ issue is the electric supply issue. Most companies provide electricity through a couple of means, usually hydroelectric, and nuclear. There have been great technological breakthroughs to attempt and avoid using nuclear power, but it is an uphill battle. Even after incidents like Three-Mile-Island and Chernobyl, some countries are hesitant to change out the nuclear power plants that have been recently constructed in the past 50 years. Sweden is a country that is aiming to rid itself completely of nuclear power in the next 10 years, and Italy has already accomplished that. The issue is that Italy is investing in other European countries for them to produce their nuclear power. Italy is merely saving its own people from the hazards and is pressuring other countries to supply even more electricity. Some countries such as Iran and North Korea wish to actually have nuclear power because they believe it is the most effective way to bring their countries up to par with the many other powers.

Radical Changes Can be Made by Kevin Service

The ideal solution to all of this is to provide the current eco-friendly forms of energy production to everyday living. There are many forms of alternative energy that aren’t quite as cost effective, but are much safer and are renewable, so they pay off in the long run. Some energy activists have advised for a “Soft Energy” path, which doesn’t for large nuclear plants, or dams. Instead the “Soft Energy” path is designed to be a diverse way of providing power to everyone. This way one form of energy cannot fail and reduce a part of a country to its knees. In the ideal world we would be able to rapidly convert the world from “Hard Energy” users to “Soft Energy” users, by giving massive government benefits to “Energy Farmers.” These Energy Farmers could utilize wind, solar, water, fuel cell, and even biomass (breaking down organic matter to produce a natural gas.) These energy farmers could sell their energy to the Electric Company for their region/county/city, and in case something happens, like a terribly cloudy day, one can still get their energy from the other forms of energy. The other great thing would be to solar panel every inch of the skyscrapers in cities. This way, the skyscrapers can help produce energy for themselves, so they aren’t drawing as much from energy farmers. This radical path would help solve the many hazards and issues concerning both nuclear power and oil.

A Windfarm off the coast of Denmark
http://www.power-technology.com/projects/middelgrunden/images/Figure_F.jpg

The Needed Changes by Kevin Service

In the real world, this sort of massive change into a new form of obtaining energy will not happen anytime soon. Energy so far is an issue on levels that avoid allowing independent corporations or ‘farmers’ to produce massive amounts of energy. Instead countries invest money into corporations to put up wind farms, but then the issue of where can these alternative energy sources like windmills and solar panels go? Each independent nation is focused on how to fix its own problems it fails to see the global picture in 300 years. One of the untapped areas for “green energy” is Africa. This still developing continent could be the world’s next energy exporter. These countries have the perfect locations for solar panels, hydroelectric, and probably wind generation in some areas. Hopefully one of the world powers won’t try to take advantage of Africa to get what it wants, and instead Africa as a continental body can work out its differences to possibly supply Europe with massive amounts of clean, hazard free energy. The energy issue is a monstrosity that many nations are simply ignoring, while others are taking huge steps to fix the problems. The advancements of nano-technology will be able to help make alternative forms of energy more viable, but until then we as individuals can stop consuming so much energy. Turn off the TV before you go to sleep, get solar heating for your hot water, and no one has to stay up until 3:00 with the lights on. Imagine how much energy that could be saved from just going to sleep a little earlier.

Sources:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/
http://www.energy.gov/
http://www.opec.org/home/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_energy_path
Energy Alternatives, by the Opposing Viewpoints series
Renewable Energy, by Daniel Deudney & Christopher Flavin

¹http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Afghan-Schools-Under-Attack.html&OQ=_rQ3D2&OP=be72afcQ2FAn!KAQ5BWQ3EGJWWF4Al6WYXjY!AnWJXQ5BAiHgiLEwlYgPQ3EwWWXGgNYQ5B!JgiFFlQ3EZ7wFRX
²http://www.iran-daily.com/1385/2607/html/panorama.htm#s157881
³http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation/index_access.html

The issues that we are considering revolve around electrical energy, which is converted from some other form, most popularly, the form of fossil fuels. This form has an extreme concentration of energy, so it may come to no surprise that this plentiful and relatively cheap form is the most popular. Burning just one tablespoon of gasoline will provide the same energy as a brick traveling at 150 miles per hour! Such fossil fuels take millions of years, on geological timescales, to form, but since the industrial revolution, we’ve been thoughtlessly burning this attractive but limited energy source, until recently. Today we see how this source is limited, and we have, to some extent, been using other sources too.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Britain was the wealthiest and most powerful country. Not surprisingly, it had huge quantities of coal and made good use of the steam engine. Britain was economically unparalleled by every other country, due to not only its material resources, but also its extensive energy.

Coal Miners from England
http://www.scan.org.uk/education/coal/img/home_img.jpg

During the industrial revolution, coal was the most important fuel. At the turn of the century, when the automobile was becoming popular gasoline suddenly went into high demand. However now, with dwindling fossil fuel supplies, hybrid cars have come into demand, due to the recent increases in oil costs. Nuclear energy is the other major energy source now. In 1957, the first commercial nuclear plant began operating. Today, nuclear energy is widely used in developed countries, and is the source of 20% of the United States’ electrical energy.

But the dwindling of fossil fuels is where our problem here emerges. Recently, we all know about the great rises in the cost per barrel of oil, but I would like to mention two significant events, that both occurred in the 1970s.

The first was in 1973, during the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced that it would be no longer exporting to countries in support of Israel, including, of course, the United States and Western Europe. This is called an oil shock, when the supply goes down suddenly and the price jumps. A similar event would take place again in 1979, due to a disruption in Iranian exports, because of the Iranian Revolution.

Recently, we have been hearing about nearly all U.S. interest in the Middle East revolving around the oil there. People will have different opinions on this because of political views, but in this day and age, it certainly cannot be ignored how reliant most of the world is on Middle-Eastern oil.

The Present Day Energy Crisis and Oil Peak

Energy is the hot topic in today’s technological world. We constantly hear words like, “Energy crisis,” and “alternative forms of energy” and all of this chatter is for one thing: the need to supply energy. It is almost inarguable that there is a controversy revolving around energy, some may say that we’re doing fine, and some will say that we need to change our methods of obtaining energy. Accusations are being thrown at oil companies for being too greedy, and not revealing to the public the extent of the “crisis.” Oil is one of the most talked about issues nowadays. Oil is mainly used for transportation purposes, heating, and producing plastics and synthetic fibers. Some experts warn that we have reached an “Oil Peak” which is the point where the population of the world is consuming more oil then its inhabitants can find. Other experts disagree and say we won’t for another decade, and even other experts declare that we won’t reach the Oil Peak for another couple decades. The problem occurs when people become to busy arguing about when this issue will happen and aren’t spending time and resources into forms of energy that will last for hundreds of years. The involvement of the United States in the Middle East is often criticized as a bid for oil, but no officials have made this an official declaration.

http://www.jakeg.co.uk/dissertation/peak_oil.gif

Another ‘energy’ issue is the electric supply issue. Most companies provide electricity through a couple of means, usually hydroelectric, and nuclear. There have been great technological breakthroughs to attempt and avoid using nuclear power, but it is an uphill battle. Even after incidents like Three-Mile-Island and Chernobyl, some countries are hesitant to change out the nuclear power plants that have been recently constructed in the past 50 years. Sweden is a country that is aiming to rid itself completely of nuclear power in the next 10 years, and Italy has already accomplished that. The issue is that Italy is investing in other European countries for them to produce their nuclear power. Italy is merely saving its own people from the hazards and is pressuring other countries to supply even more electricity. Some countries such as Iran and North Korea wish to actually have nuclear power because they believe it is the most effective way to bring their countries up to par with the many other powers.

Radical Changes Can be Made

The ideal solution to all of this is to provide the current eco-friendly forms of energy production to everyday living. There are many forms of alternative energy that aren’t quite as cost effective, but are much safer and are renewable, so they pay off in the long run. Some energy activists have advised for a “Soft Energy” path, which doesn’t for large nuclear plants, or dams. Instead the “Soft Energy” path is designed to be a diverse way of providing power to everyone. This way one form of energy cannot fail and reduce a part of a country to its knees. In the ideal world we would be able to rapidly convert the world from “Hard Energy” users to “Soft Energy” users, by giving massive government benefits to “Energy Farmers.” These Energy Farmers could utilize wind, solar, water, fuel cell, and even biomass (breaking down organic matter to produce a natural gas.) These energy farmers could sell their energy to the Electric Company for their region/county/city, and in case something happens, like a terribly cloudy day, one can still get their energy from the other forms of energy. The other great thing would be to solar panel every inch of the skyscrapers in cities. This way, the skyscrapers can help produce energy for themselves, so they aren’t drawing as much from energy farmers. This radical path would help solve the many hazards and issues concerning both nuclear power and oil.

A Windfarm off the coast of Denmark
http://www.power-technology.com/projects/middelgrunden/images/Figure_F.jpg

The Needed Changes

In the real world, this sort of massive change into a new form of obtaining energy will not happen anytime soon. Energy so far is an issue on levels that avoid allowing independent corporations or ‘farmers’ to produce massive amounts of energy. Instead countries invest money into corporations to put up wind farms, but then the issue of where can these alternative energy sources like windmills and solar panels go? Each independent nation is focused on how to fix its own problems it fails to see the global picture in 300 years. One of the untapped areas for “green energy” is Africa. This still developing continent could be the world’s next energy exporter. These countries have the perfect locations for solar panels, hydroelectric, and probably wind generation in some areas. Hopefully one of the world powers won’t try to take advantage of Africa to get what it wants, and instead Africa as a continental body can work out its differences to possibly supply Europe with massive amounts of clean, hazard free energy. The energy issue is a monstrosity that many nations are simply ignoring, while others are taking huge steps to fix the problems. The advancements of nano-technology will be able to help make alternative forms of energy more viable, but until then we as individuals can stop consuming so much energy. Turn off the TV before you go to sleep, get solar heating for your hot water, and no one has to stay up until 3:00 with the lights on. Imagine how much energy that could be saved from just going to sleep a little earlier.

Sources:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/
http://www.energy.gov/
http://www.opec.org/home/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_energy_path
Energy Alternatives, by the Opposing Viewpoints series
Renewable Energy, by Daniel Deudney & Christopher Flavin

The International Child Resource Institute was one of the first organizations to try and connect other programs to a worldwide scale. In 1978 the idea was founded when a group of child advocates in Stockholm identified the lack of a linking system to provide access to information on programs serving children and families throughout the world.(4)

ICRI was created in 1981 to draw together this information and provide an international linkage between agencies, organizations, and individuals concerned with children and families. This linkage then allowed ICRI to refine and reproduce programs of proven success.(4)

Since 1981, ICRI has been providing services for families and children locally and around the world. ICRI makes a difference by providing technical assistance and consultation to a wide variety of national and international organizations, businesses, governments, non-profits and others interested in such children’s issues as child care, child abuse prevention, child survival, maternal and child health, placement alternatives for abandoned and traumatized children and the promotion of children’s rights.(4)

The International Labor Organization(ILO) is somewhat monitoring child care on the global scale. The reasons for the founding of the ILO are listed below.

“The initial motivation was humanitarian. The condition of workers, more and more numerous and exploited with no consideration for their health, their family lives and their advancement, was less and less acceptable. This preoccupation appears clearly in the Preamble of the Constitution of the ILO, where it is stated, "conditions of labor exist involving ... injustice, hardship and privation to large numbers of people. "(1)

Child care is partly regulated by them because it affects their families’ lives. Because there are a greater percentage of women in the working force now their needs to be adequate child care standards to be followed internationally.

“The second motivation was political. Without an improvement in their condition, the workers, whose numbers were ever increasing as a result of industrialization, would create social unrest, even revolution. The Preamble notes that injustice produces "unrest so great that the peace and harmony of the world are imperiled."(1)

Because of its inevitable effect on the cost of production, any industry or country adopting social reform would find itself at a disadvantage vis-à-vis its competitors. The Preamble states that "the failure of any nation to adopt humane conditions of labor is an obstacle in the way of other nations which desire to improve the conditions in their own countries."(1)

This fact is a little confusing because it seems that other countries have much better child care systems that the United States, and this would affect the labor provided by the parents. “France has an excellent child care system that is as close to universal as possible. From the age of birth to 2 ½ - 3 a child can be placed in either a Crèche (Communal Nursery) or in the home of an Assistante Maternelle (Nanny). Once a child reaches the ages of between 2 ½ - 3 he or she can be enrolled in an école maternelle (Pre-School). None of these are compulsory as schooling in France is not obligatory until a child reaches the age of 5 years.” (2) Or instead of a Crèche the parents may choose to hire an Assistante Maternelle.

Assistante Maternelle's are regulated by the state and must be certified, regularly inspected and attend classes. Depending on the ages of the children an Assistante Maternelle can have from one to five children in her care. The parents employ the Assistante Maternelle, with the parents paying the take home salary and the state paying the social, health and retirement benefits. It is possible for the parents to receive state aid that pays some of the Assistante Maternelle salary, for this to happen the parents need to declare that they have hired the Assistante Maternelle. This is done through the URSAFF.(2)

Many of the European nations also pay for a large portion of child care.

Both daycare and early education are characterised by mixed public and private provision, funded by the Flemish Government. Education from 2.5 years is free, with supplementary investments given to schools catering for low-income/ethnic areas and families. Kleuterschool are operated by the different networks (see above), each group being financed or subsidised by the Government.

In the subsidised care sector, parents pay fees, according to income, on average, 25.5% of actual costs indaycare centres and 69.4% of costs in family daycare (2001). All parents are granted tax benefits to recuperate these costs, up to 100% of daily costs. Services (daycare centres and familydaycare) are mostly used by working mothers in dual-income families, although statistics show that there is also a strong uptake by single-parent families.

0-1 year: In the first year, maternal care predominates. Between 6 months and 1 year, about 52% of children use daycare (centres, family daycare and informal daycare. Because tax relief is offered to families that use care supervised by Kind & Gezin, the use of informal daycare is limited.

1-3 years : From 1-2.5 years, about 55% of children use daycare, 28.8% on a full-time basis and 71.2% part-time. From 2.5 years, only 31.7% of children still use daycare. Overall from 1 to 3 years, 25.7% of children use a daycare centre, 38.3% a family daycare facility, 1.4% an out-of-school facility, and 33.6% informal daycare, usually grandparents (2001). Daycare centres are often open 10-12 hours per day.

2.5–5 years: 85% coverage at 2.5 years in free pre-primary school. Almost 100% coverage at 3- 4 years (at 98.4% in 1997-98). The pre-primary school opens daily (half-day Wednesday) from 8.30 - 15.30, with after-school care if needed.(3)

Another reason for the creation of the International Labor Organization was added by the participants of the Peace Conference, linked to the end of the war to which workers had contributed significantly both on the battlefield and in industry. This idea appears at the very beginning of the Constitution: "universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice."(1)

“The opinion of Mary Daly, who edited of Child Care as a Human Right A New Prospective on an Old Debate, says the causes of neglect in child care are: the universality and taken-for-grantedness of the caring; the fact that economists and statisticians have failed to measure the extent or value of this work; and the legacy of the belief that this form of work was unproductive labor”(8)

This is a good point because all the studies shown have been showing how the students progress so much with schoolwork and childcare, none showing what they loose by not being brought up by their own parents. Spending time with them, and learning from them.

“In the study there is also a section written by someone from each country to tell of their current situations. And answer the following questions What is the role of the state in making care available for dependents (children, the aged, persons with disabilities)? By what means should carers be compensated? Should it be by payments to the person in need of care or to the provider? Should it be for low-income persons only? Will care work be less valued when it is done not out of love or duty but for remuneration? “(8)
“Paid parental leave is one of the subjects covered in Chapter 2. This policy, strangely, is endorsed throughout Western Europe, in all countries except the United Kingdom and Ireland. These latter countries and Italy, however, are quite generous regarding care provisions at the other end of the age spectrum. In other countries where family solidarity is stronger and family care (usually by female relatives) a given, there is less reliance on government funding. Chapter 3 pursues this theme further with a focus on gender. The author's singling out of the Scandinavian "dual earner model" is helpful. The Scandinavian model recognizes the need for family care and imparts permission for workers to exit the labor market without penalty. Swedish "lone" (or single) mothers get almost as much income from the state as they do from earnings.” (8)
“The chapters of Part II discuss care arrangements in India, Brazil, and Russia. The interdependence and male gender-bias themes are key to East Indian child rearing; care of the elderly becomes a problem under conditions of modernization. The Brazilian and Russian social structures are characterized by great social inequality; in Russia higher income families qualify for higher monthly child allowances than do poor families.”(8)
“The writers of Part III explore social benefits in Finland where informal care has been transformed from a public to a private matter; universalism of care is the theme. Nevertheless, the attention to the needs of the elderly has failed to match the generous provisions for small children. In the Netherlands, care is becoming highly privatized; care dependents such as the frail elderly are given personal budgets with which to purchase the services they need. The third chapter of this section discusses relevant issues in the provision of services in the U.S. such as the distress of managed health care limitations. The availability of unpaid family leaves for some employees is shown to be clearly inadequate to the need. Elder care provisions are clearly inadequate, forcing many nursing home residents to have to exhaust their personal resources before Medicaid pitches in.”(8)

“While domestic advocates within the United States have long argued for an expansion of government-supported child care, the significance of child care's status as an international human right has not been explored. In other nations, international law has played an important role in spurring governments to expand childcare services. Reframing the child care issue in the United States as a question of international human rights could be an effective way to enlist new allies, posit new paradigms, re-energize the child care debate and shift the domestic focus toward more progressive models.”(8)

http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?sid=PQCPF6MN8M8H9HKELVC34QQFCGJSE2AC&ID=60395

1. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/about/history.htm
2. http://www.americansinfrance.net/MovingPlanner/Childcare_in_France.cfm
3. https://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/32/1942279.pdf
4. http://www.icrichild.org/aboutus.asp?page=mission
5. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYZ/is_2_30/ai_101762553/pg_3
6. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYZ/is_2_30/ai_101762553/pg_2
7. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYZ/is_2_30/ai_101762553/pg_1
8. http://www.haworthpress.com/store/articleabstract.asp?sid=PQCPF6MN8M8H9HKELVC34QQFCGJSE2AC&ID=90395

Author: Zach Cutts

CHINA'S LABOR HISTORY
Unfortunately, it is difficult to find reliable statistics of China. The few records that exist are not comprehensive, and it is hard to cross-reference due to differences in payment schedules and currency. A common form of payment in China was tael, 37 grams of unminted silver. During the 1700s and early 1800s, wages in China slightly but steadily increased. In 1976, the average daily wage for unskilled workers was 0.03 tael. In 1813, the average wage was abour 0.04 tael. Those who lived in large cities received higher pay, due to a higher cost of living. The highest wages were earned in Manchuria and Xinjiang, and the lowest in Fujian.(1) In the late nineteenth century, wages rose to about 0.08 tael per day. Although this seems like a large increase, workers in China recieved far less payment than Europeans performing similar jobs. However, the standard of living of Chinese workers was comparable to European workers.(1)
China became increasingly urban. Many poor families moved away from the countryside and into cities to earn a living. In the 1960s and 1970s, China attempted to curb the migration. Rural to urban migration increased federal spending in the form of social services and road maintainance. Also, because the number of farmers were decreasing, the supply of agricultural goods decreased, causing their prices to rise. To reduce these labor costs, China focused on developing industries that relied heavily on capital (buildings, factories, and other man-made resources) and a smaller labor force. This led to a surplus in laborers, forcing unskilled workers to compete for extremely low-paying jobs.(2)
Foreign companies were enticed by China's huge supply of willing workers. China also encouraged business by forming Special Economic Zones; businesses established in these areas were given special tax breaks, and the power to determine the size and pay of their work force.(2)
CHINA'S CURRENT SITUATION
Companies have long enjoyed this labor surplus. For the 88 million farmers who migrated to cities, wages are extremely low. The average wage for an unskilled worker in 2004 was between $58 and $74 a month.(3) Many of these workers lacked health insurance, job security, and power to change working conditions. Chinese factory laborers are paid 64 cents an hour, including wages and social insurance. This average includes more than 70 million suburban and rural factory workers are paid 45 cents per hour. In contrast, United States factory workers earn $21.11 per hour.(4)
However, in recent years this worker surplus has turned into a shortage. China's one-child policy has reduced the number of able employees. Tax reductions and other incentives have made agriculture more profitable, reducing the number of farmers migrating from rural areas. Young people are opting for education rather than factory work, minimizing the work force. Other workers aren't qualified for the jobs that need to be filled. One province claims to have 2.5 million vacant jobs.(5)
This surplus allows workers to demand higher wages and better conditions. Minimum wages are increasing by 10% every year. These rising production costs have contributed to inflation, but the inflation (at 2-3%) is small in comparison to the increased incomes.(6) One business, in response to increased labor costs, has chosed to decrease energy costs. St. Louis-based Emerson has built a solar-powered office and introduced recycling.(7) Workers are receiving increased benefits and employers are forced to offer more flexible hours. The majority of workers in China are seeing an increase in wages, and with it, an increase in their standard of living.

THE FUTURE
Although wages are higher, they are too low to live comfortably. The often demonstrations and strikes in China cause citizens to worry about their country's political and economic stability. Some believe an increase in workers' wages would increase purchasing power and consumption, creating jobs for other Chinese citizens. China should reduce dependency on its exports, and instead look to their own people for revenue, encouraging economic growth with a stronger domestic market.
The government has suggested tax relief as a solution to rural poverty. The plan is to subsidize farmers' costs to grow food in high-demand or build resevoirs.(8)
However, if wages continue to increase, businesses may look to other countries for cheap sources of labor. Some firms are considering relocating. This would cause a sharp decline in available jobs in China, sending many citizens back into poverty. If prices continue to rise, these costs may be passed onto the consumer. Because China depends so heavily on exports, this could cause worldwide cost-push inflation.

One of the places businesses are considering relocating to is India.
INDIA'S LABOR HISTORY
In 1948, "The Committee on Fair Wage" was set up to provide guidelines for wage structures in India. The report that this committee formulated was a major landmark in wage policy in India, for it set out rules pertaining to the concepts of living wage, minimum wage and fair wage. This Act secured equal rights for both men and women. It also stated that the government must strive to provide a “living wage” for all citizens. In Article 39 of this Act it says, “The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing (a) that the citizen, men and women equally shall have the right to an adequate livelihood and (b) that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women. Furthermore, Article 43 says, “The State shall endeavor, by suitable legislation or economic organisation or in any other way, to give all workers, agricultural, industrial or otherwise, work, a living wage, conditions of work ensuring a decent standard of life and full enjoyment of leisure, and social and cultural opportunities” (1). The enactment of this minimum wage policy took place over a few decades. Once is was finally passed, it specifically noted that revisions to details be made as the conditions of the economy and such fluctuate from year to year (2).

CURRENT SITUATION
In India today, there are different minimum wages for each category of work skill. The lowest rung on this wage ladder holds the “unskilled,” which include cleaners, messengers, waiters, housemaids, shepherds and farm workers. The “semi skilled” category includes carpenters, goldsmiths, electricians and bartenders, while the “skilled” include plumbers, agriculturists, hairdressers, tailors, auto-mechanics, electronic technicians and painters. At the top of this job hierarchy are the “office staff” and the “highly skilled.” These categories consist of store keepers, telephone operators, nurses, accountants and chemists. The minimum wages for the “skilled” are double that of the “unskilled” and those for the “highly skilled” are nearly triple (3). However, many workers do not fit into any of these specific job categories, leaving them without adequate protection.
Even though specific areas of the Minimum Wage Act of 1948 have been updated according to the changing conditions, there have been no “all-encompassing” revisions. The people who suffer the most are those who belong to unorganized work forces. While those who are a part of organized unions have many protections set out for them, those in the unorganized forces have millions of employers, “virtually every small trade, enterprise, sole proprietor or household,” and cannot be accounted for due to varying diversity of location and nature of work. The fact that there are no specific wage requirements for a vast majority of workers has left them unable to keep up with matters such as rising inflation.
SOLUTIONS
There is much debate over whether an increase in the minimum wage will help or hurt those involved. Many economists say that an increase in wage will help out the economy. The poor will be spending more and costs will invariably, adjust. However, other economists say that the minimum wage should be determined by the market itself, meaning that each person’s wage “reflects the ‘value’ placed on it by employers and consumers” (4). They say that a clearly defined minimum wage would not account for the many variations placed on different types of work. While this may be true, India has recognized that a definite floor must be set in order to protect its citizens from being exploited. Therefore, “Any market-based determination of wages can and must happen above the legal floor” (4).
Still, many argue that any increase in the minimum wage will drive labor further underground, and lead to even more corruption. While this may be so, the government needs to fully address this matter. By setting the wages so low, they have continually allowed for exploitation and anyone with decent moral values can see that something must be done about this.

EUROPEAN WAGES
Contrastly, European countries have laws setting relatively high minumum wages. Many of these countries, like Netherlands, Servia, and Ukraine, have minimum wage laws that ensure far less pay than America. However, there are a few countries that have minimum wage laws that ensure more pay for employees like Malta, Ireland, and Poland(1). European countries main form of currency is the Euro, so to compare that to U.S. dollars we must first find the strength of the Euro to the Dollar; it turns out that one Euro is worth about $1.27(2). The minimum wage in various countries in Europe, when converted to U.S. dollars, ranges from $442.77 (in Netherlands) to $22,969.85 (in Malta) per year. The U.S. minimum wage falls somewhere in between at about $13,500.00 per year(1).

The huge difference in minimum wages in European countries may not be so different when you factor in the cost of living. Some cities, like London, are ranked among the highest cities in the world in terms of cost of living according to a Mercer Human Resources Consulting survey(3). After adjusting the minimum wage pay for the cost of living in each country the actual pay is not as radically different than it first appeared to be. In Europe there is a poverty line, like in America, and many countries do not pay employees enough to meet that poverty line. This creates an economic problem for countries that are not paying employees enough to get themselves out of poverty. In that way there is a problem very much like the on in America; no matter how hard or long you work at a minimum wage job, you can not get yourself out of poverty.
In Europe there is another problem that makes the situation even worse, it’s called the ‘working time problem’. A full time working week is considered to be anywhere from 35-40 hours depending on which country a person may be in. However, there is also a cap on how many hours an employee may work in a week; this cap ranges from 43 to 48 hours a week. This not only prevents those individuals that want to work longer hours to improve their income, but it also prevents the employers from reaching maximum productive efficiency. This means that the economy also suffers because the manufacturers are not operating at maximum efficiency. Another reason that the European countries are not operating at maximum efficiency is that because of the socially oriented politics about 1 in 4 employees are not at work at any given time. This is because the politics in these areas allow for annual, maternity, and parental leave as well as part time employment opportunities. Not only does law require these things but, some countries have taken more measures that make it more beneficial to be away on leave than at work. These measures include double holiday pay along with many opportunities for employees to take leave. Therefore, many people find it much easier to take leave as often as possible to get the double holiday pay(4).

So, what should be done about this problem in Europe? The political policies make it hard for business to operate at maximum efficiency since 1 out of 4 employees are not at work at any given time. So it may have to start with political policies; the employee must be given more incentive to work than to take leave so that the employers may operate at maximum efficiency. I think this first step should be taken before raising the minimum wage because Europe has been raising the minimum wage in many countries and it still doesn’t pay employees enough to get out of poverty(5).

A GLOBAL MINUMUM WAGE
Although many countries have national minimum wages, a global or international minimum wage would be a giant feat. For one thing, countries use various types of currency with its own value. To compare the minimum wages of different countries, annual minimum wage incomes are calculated into US dollars. From these estimates, a wide range of annual incomes result: from $29 per year in Kazakhstan to $28,911 per year in Switzerland. (1) Despite the cost of living and national minimum wage differences, many organizations still support the idea of an international minimum wage.

One such organization is Global Exchange. This group sees a need to create both a global minimum and maximum wage. The annual minimum wage would be arbitrarily set at $1000, and the annual maximum wage would be $1 million. (2) Though the values aren’t based on any proven research, the prospect of having both an international minimum and maximum wage is surprising. A minimum yearly wage of $1000 could help developing countries which currently have minimum wages of lesser value while the maximum annual wage of $1 million could limit richer countries from earning too much per capita; yet the consequences of this could be a lack of productivity as citizens know they can only make so much. (3) The overall concept here is to level the playing field, bringing the gap between the rich and poor closer together. Since almost 3 billion people make a living on less than two dollars a day, an annual global minimum wage of $1000 could help a greatnumber of people. (4)
Although the interest in an international minimum wage has increased, the idea of an international living wage is a more popular and controversial subject because it might actually solve the poverty seen in developing countries. Rather than creating a minimum wage in hopes of improving the conditions of the poor, a more preferable solution would be to make that minimum wage a global living wage. This global wage will ensure the workers make enough money to afford basic necessities-food, housing, health care, education, etc. (5)
One area an international living wage could most effectively improve the lives of workers is in the garment industry. The garment factories are located in countries where cheap labor can be found; the labor costs may be as low as .5% of the product’s retail price. (6) These clothing factories may also be referred as sweatshops because of the grueling work done for little pay. Workers in Indonesia work in Nike factories making 10 cents an hour. Likewise, workers in China make only 23 cents an hour working 15 hours a day and 6 days a week. (7) These appalling wages keep the workers in poverty, while those who buy the products benefit from the lower prices. An international living wage could force manufacturers to pay their workers at least enough to acquire the basic requirements of life.
Even though no formal agreements have been made to pass any type of global minimum or living wage, the efforts to improve the situation of the workers in 3rd world countries show the dissatisfaction with the status quo. With an international minimum wage nowhere in sight and a living wage even farther away, the possibility for these wages to come into fruition is very low. In theory, these plans seem perfectly logical, but in reality, many complicated issues stand in the way of transforming standard national wages to an international one.

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0001196.html
World Education Encyclopedia Volume I

Global Education

Education comes in all forms, whether it is from the Chinese who use wooden pellets as calculators or to the Americans who have developed the world’s first nuclear bomb. Just like music and dance, education is “universal language,” understood by all and affecting all. Because of the current global education situation, it is really hard to decipher what country can call themselves the “smartest” and best education people. There are three main problems when it comes to education, enrollment, funding, and a lack of teachers.
One of the main powers of the world, Asia has been developing right along the United States. Although it is clear that the U.S still holds the most developed education system, Asia is in the run, improving their education system. “Asia Society has two primary education objectives: one focuses on teaching and learning about Asia; and the other on expanding our nation's investments in international studies at the elementary and secondary school levels.” It’s interesting to see what other countries focus on, such as Asia who devotes part of their education system to knowing where they come from and their history. Unlike the American education system where the basics are taught such as math, science, and history, Asia has a unique difference they are trying to not only educate their people but they are also working on bridging the international knowledge gap. In Asia enrollment is at around 62%, meaning that almost a third of its population and kids are not attending school (1). Although Asia has been trying to improve their education system by changing their curriculum, it won’t make a huge difference if kids do not attend school. Because enrollment is such a problem not only in Asia but in poorer countries, education around the world is at a stand still. In 1998, the enrollment percentage of Asia rose to around 73%, even though that’s not an outstanding improvement, the percentage of kids not attending school is still to high. One distinct difference among education around the world is richer countries have a higher enrollment rate than those who do not have as much funding. Because the richer the country, the more money there is available to their education program, which makes it clear that those who are more developed countries will continue to their reign when it comes to their literacy rate and education level.


Another problem that is seemingly occurring more and more is the shortage of teachers. Without teachers, schooling is useless, especially without education and competent teachers. In the world today, people are more practical and realistic that morally driven. The salary of an average schooling teacher is around $31,000, a pretty small amount to support oneself and even a family (3). Because teacher salaries are so low paid, the incentive to becoming a teacher is low, people want to get the higher paying jobs so they abandon the education field and jump into a job that will pay more money. The society everybody lives in is driven by money, not only are Americans being forced to get higher end paying jobs but places such as France and England where education is not a main priority are being driven away from the teaching industry.
Government intervention in terms of funding towards the worlds education is lacking tremendously. Because there is a lack of funding not only locally, and nationally, but globally, it makes it easy to see that if something isn’t done soon, our education systems will keep going down hill. It’s interesting to notice that when it comes to the U.S, we will spend 10 times more money on military and war purposes than on children’s education, hypocritical? The war in Iraq does need a lot of money when it comes to artillery and top of line gear, but the war does not only affect and hurt the two countries involved, it takes its toll on the whole world. The war drains money from the United States which could be used to better our education system, maybe buy more chairs or make transportation more convenient. For the Iraqis, I find it near impossible to see how after and during the war, they have any left over money to support its education that is why Iraq has one of the lowest literacy rates of about 15% (2) I believe it is true that richer countries do have a better education system. Its common sense to see that the more money a country has, the more options and amounts of funding they can give to various things. Meaning if they have more money, they can spend more money towards bettering their education system. The United State whom is one of those countries in the G8 or the eight richest countries in the world has a literacy rate of about 99% measured in the year 2003 (5). Compared to Afghanistan, a country not in the G8, who is also considered one of the poorer countries in the world, has a literacy rate of 21% in the year 2003 (6). Because Afghanistan doesn’t have as much money in which they can use towards their education system, their literacy rate is far lower than a richer country such as the United States.
It is sad to think that a lack of education not only affects those who aren’t fortunate enough to get a good one, but it affects everybody in general. It doesn’t matter if one is rich or if one is poor, in the end it will all come back to you. Because money seems to be such a problem not only for people, but for states and countries alike, it affects people alike too. As generations continue to develop it is clear to see that if our education systems don’t improve, a world halt will come in terms of development in education. I’m not necessarily saying that everyone will just stop learning, but the learning curve will sharply fall and the intelligence level will fall as well. Even if you aren’t a teacher or you already got through college and such, this education problem will affect you. Maybe your plumber won’t know how to fix your pipes as well as he could and instead of having to fix again five years later, he will have to come back in one or two years.
In school we learn a lot what we think of as useless information such as how to balance scientific equations or formulating the quadratic formula. It wasn’t as easy to see why we needed to learn this information when I wouldn’t be going out to the supermarket attempting to do equations which will find the tax increase in a couple of years down the road. But once you realize that this world is based on education alone, you begin to realize that action needs to be taken to ensure our growth and development.

(1) http://www.paris21.org/betterworld/education.htm
(2) http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdReforms/chap8d.html
(3) http://www.aft.org/research/teachersurveys.htm#Annual
(4) http://www.usd.edu/ttd/multicultural/resources/india.htm
(5) https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html
(6) https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/af.html

Current Situation
In India today, there are different minimum wages for each category of work skill. The lowest rung on this wage ladder holds the “unskilled,” which include cleaners, messengers, waiters, housemaids, shepherds and farm workers. The “semi skilled” category includes carpenters, goldsmiths, electricians and bartenders, while the “skilled” include plumbers, agriculturists, hairdressers, tailors, auto-mechanics, electronic technicians and painters. At the top of this job hierarchy are the “office staff” and the “highly skilled.” These categories consist of store keepers, telephone operators, nurses, accountants and chemists. The minimum wages for the “skilled” are double that of the “unskilled” and those for the “highly skilled” are nearly triple (3). However, many workers do not fit into any of these specific job categories, leaving them without adequate protection.

Even though specific ares of the Minimum Wage Act of 1948 have been updated according to the changing conditions, there have been no “all-encompassing” revisions. The people who suffer the most are those who belong to unorganized work forces. While those who are a part of organized unions have many protections set out for them, those in the unorganized forces have millions of employers, “virtually every small trade, enterprise, sole proprietor or household,” and cannot be accounted for due to varying diversity of location and nature of work. The fact that there are no specific wage requirements for a vast majority of workers has left many unable to keep up with matters such as rising inflation.

What Should Be Done
There is much debate over whether an increase in the minimum wage will help or hurt those involved. Many economists say that an increase in wage will help our the economy. The poor will be spending more and costs will invariably, adjust. However, other economists say that the minimum wage should be determined by the market itself, meaning that each person’s wage “reflects the ‘value’ placed on it by employers and consumers” (4). They say that a clearly defined minimum wage would not account for the many variations placed on different types of work. While this may be true, India has recognized that a definite floor must be set in order to protect its citizens from being exploited. Therefore, “Any market-based determination of wages can and must happen above the legal floor” (4).

Still, many argue that any increase in the minimum wage will drive labor further underground, and lead to even more corruption. While this may be so, the government needs to fully address this matter. By setting the wages so low, they have continually allowed for exploitation and anyone with decent moral values can see that something must be done about this.

(1) http://labour.nic.in/wagecell/welcome.html
(2) http://www.indialawinfo.com/bareacts/minwage.html
(3) http://www.indembassyuae.org/lw_minwages.phtml
(4) http://www.indiatogether.org/2006/feb/edt-minwages.htm

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_minimum_wage
(2) http://www.globalexchange.org/update/publications/newsltr3.97p4.html
(3) http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTECONEVAL/Resources/MinimumWage NoteJul03v2.pdf
(4) http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp
(5) http://www.bsr.org/CSRResources/IssueBriefDetail.cfm?DocumentID=50678
(6) http://www.cleanclothes.org/campaign/liwa99-11-1.htm
(7) http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Reforming_System/TimeLivingWage.html

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_minimum_wage
(2) http://www.globalexchange.org/update/publications/newsltr3.97p4.html
(3) http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTECONEVAL/Resources/MinimumWage NoteJul03v2.pdf
(4) http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp
(5) http://www.bsr.org/CSRResources/IssueBriefDetail.cfm?DocumentID=50678
(6) http://www.cleanclothes.org/campaign/liwa99-11-1.htm
(7) http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Reforming_System/TimeLivingWage.html

1) http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_n3/v25/ai_6811552
2) http://www.nscahh.org/hunger.asp?id2=8800
3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4631911.stm
4) http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Hea-Irr/Homelessness.html
5) http://www.focusireland.ie/htm/housing_homelessness/facts_figures/causes.htm

Issue:
The global gas prices are rising and causing stress on the economy. As the high global demand for oil remains unchanged, oil prices will continue to shoot up. In the long run, the world cannot rely on oil forever. Someday, oil will be economically unfeasible as an energy source. If the global community continues its current rate of oil consumption, oil will eventually be too costly. In order to reduce dependence on oil and lower oil prices, people around the world must start looking at alternative types of transportation fuels.

Part 1. History of the Issue
By Taylour Pua Chang

The global demand for oil is rising because (1) the rising global demand, along with the inability of oil refineries to satisfy the demand, is causing prices to rise, (2) the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is unable to control the rising prices, therefore, the oil traders have demanded risk premiums to raise the oil price, and (3) the nations that hold most of the world’s oil reserves have experienced political instability in the past years; thus, this has prompted oil traders to ask for additional risk premiums.
First, the main reason for rising oil prices is the surge in global oil consumption. The global demand for oil has gone up, and the ability of oil refineries to satisfy the demand has gone down; thus, based on the logic of supply and demand, the price of oil has risen everywhere. Ever since the industrial revolution, the world’s demand for oil has increased. Harold Brubaker from the Knight Ridder Newspapers states that, today, we are a part of a world run by oil—the demand for oil is at a phenomenal high (1). Factories and industries around the world, for instance, demand more oil in order to increase production. More people rely on long-distance transportation, and more consumers are driving fuel-inefficient SUVs. Certainly, more countries are experiencing greater economic growth than ever before. China, in particular, is progressing at a very fast rate, and its global oil consumption increased 16% within the last year according to Vivek Kaul from rediff.com. In China, more factories are being developed, and more people are buying cars. The global consumption of oil, notes Kaul, rose 3.4% last year, and most of the increase has come from China (2). The United States is also a major factor in the rising global consumption of oil. According to Micheal Casey from USA Today, the U.S., which constitutes roughly 5% of the world population, consumes a quarter of the global oil supply. In addition, Casey also says that oil efficiency in American automobiles have decreased to a record-breaking low, and U.S. energy policies do little to lower the American oil consumption (3). Because automobiles remain a symbol of aspiration to other developing countries such as India, it is inevitable that the use of automobiles will increase in the future and oil consumption will continue to rise, especially in developing countries wishing to advance their economy. Therefore, unfortunately, the demand for oil will continue to rise unless something drastic is done to control oil demands. Jack Suyderhoud from the Star Bulletin notes that, basically, oil refineries today do not have the capacity to satisfy the people’s demand for oil—it is impossible for oil refineries to produce the amount of oil the world currently wants (4). The resulting shortage of oil makes what oil refineries do more valuable, thus, raising oil prices everywhere.

The second reason has to do with OPEC. OPEC is the most prominent oil producer in the world and controls most of the world’s oil supply. According to S. Subramanian from the Washington Post, the OPEC, which once had a lot of idle capacity, managed to gain control over oil prices over time, allowing it to regulate prices to its advantage. For example, whenever the demand for oil was high, the OPEC would reduce its output of oil, thus creating artificial shortages and higher prices (5). Recently, however, things have changed because OPEC has been unable to control the surging oil prices. A MSNBC news report made clear that OPEC can’t keep up with the current global demand for oil—OPEC has been pumping oil as fast as possible with hardly any idle capacity left (6). The amount of OPEC’s oil production could feasibly go on forever. Because there is no longer any safety net on oil production, worried oil traders have demanded that there be a risk premium, which raises the oil prices higher.
Finally, the nations that hold most of the world’s oil reserves have experienced
political instability in the past years; thus, the instability at a given time has affected oil prices, causing price fluctuations. According to Gabe Collins from Petroleum World, the instability of areas such as the Middle East is considered a risk to oil traders, for fluctuating prices can affect the their profits (7). This has also prompted oil traders to demand additional risk premiums, thus raising prices further.

Global Oil Prices:

Today, according to CNN, it is $75 per gallon of crude oil. Gas prices around the world range from $0.12 in Venezuela to $6.48 in the Netherlands. All price values are record or near record highs in each prospective country (8). If the global demand continues, and the inability of oil refineries to satisfy the demand remains, the price of oil will continue to rise to economically unfeasible levels. Certainly, we need to start looking at alternative energy sources.

Footnotes Part 1:

1. Brubaker, Harold. “Why are gas prices rising?” Knight Ridder Newspapers. (April 26, 2006). www.ledgerenquierer.com/brubaker/gas_prices.html.

2. Kaul, Vivek. “Why global oil prices are rising.” http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/sep/01oil.htm

3. Casey, Micheal. “Asia going nuclear amid rising oil prices.” USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-07-09-asia-nuclear_x.htm

4. Suyderhoud, Jack. “Gasoline price cap will not lower prices or protect Hawaii consumers.” The Honolulu Advertiser. www.thehonoluluadvertiser.com/gas_cap/notworking.html

5. Subramanian, S. “OPEC and global oil prices.” http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/sep/01oil.htm

6. Schoen, John W. “OPEC says it has lost control of oil prices: Cartel producers say they can’t keep up with global demand.” http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7190109/

7. Collins, Gabe. “Gabe Collins: Nationalized oil resources, political instability drive gas prices higher.” http://www.petroleumworld.com/Ed032306.htm

8. “Gas prices around the world.” CNN MONEY. http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/global_gasprices

Part 2. Current Situation of the Issue
By Mary Daily

The United States has seen a rise in gas prices, that has affected everyone from the poor to the rich and many residents think it is outrageous. But how is the rest of the world fairing? Some places are double the price of the States, while other prices are less than a pack of gum. For example, gas pump prices are $6.48 in Amsterdam, but a mere $0.12 in Caracas Venezuela (1). The U.S. and its cities are in between the super expensive prices of Europe, and the not so expensive gas prices of South America, Africa, and the Middle East. But there are many factors in why the gas prices are so high for some places. The U.S. experienced a severe hurricane season; there were large Nigerian labor strikes, constant volatility in the Middle East, and there has also been a higher than usual demand for oil from China (2).
However, many places have there own gas related problems to deal with even though they seem to affect everyone at some point. China is toiling over how they can use alternative energy source, much like we do here in the States, but China is also overly populated, so their decisions are crucial to the rest of the world. There are many renewable energy ideas that have been widely known, such as wind energy, waterpower, solar power, and even geothermal energy. But, the most widely known candidate to replace oil is ethanol. Ethanol is made from corn, so it is fairly easy to get and seemingly does not run out because you can always grow more corn. Scientists are constantly studying ways to find other fuel sources, and most recently there has been a discovery that soybeans can replace corn and could be even more efficient. When ethanol is made from corn, it provides 25% more energy a gallon than required, while soybeans generate 93% more energy. If we were to start using soybeans instead of corn for alternative fuels, it would be called biofuels, and would reduce greenhouse gasses by 12% (3).

Although there is talk of other fuel sources other than gas, and many countries such as ours are aware of the pending price and supply problems of gasoline. But in addition to the problems mentioned above, individual governments can influence the supply and demand of energy such as gasoline or crude oil. In oil producing countries such as Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, Nigeria in Africa, and Venezuela in South America, tend to keep the gasoline prices that they give their citizens artificially low. They do this through subsidizing the costs of petroleum from crude oil so as to minimize the impact on their large struggling middle class. By doing this, they reduce the likelihood of their middle class citizens becoming disgruntled and wanting to topple to government by having riots and strikes.
Governments of countries that produce large amounts of energy like the U.S. could reduce the entire growth of energy consumption in general by decreasing the gasoline use. One way to do this is to continue to increase the amount of taxes on each gallon of gasoline. Secondly, governments could restrict the production of certain fuels, like prohibiting the ability of oil companies to drill for and bring up crude oil off the Easter and Western coasts.

Footnotes Part 2:
1. "Gas prices around the world: Think you pay a lot for gas? Perhaps you'd prefer to live in Venezuela." CNN. March, 2005. http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/global_gasprices/. July 12, 2006.

2. "The Wire." Global Gas National Propane Supplier. February 10, 2005. http://www.globalgas.com/thewire.htm. July 14, 2006.

3. Barrionuevo, Alexei. It's Corn vs. Soybeans in a Biofuels Debate." The New York Times. July 13, 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/business/13ethanol.html. July 14, 2006.

Part 3. What Should be Done About Oil in the World?
By Cory Nicely

Investigating the local, national, and global standings on the oil issue has brought slightly different versions of the same background but what should be done about it remains roughly the same. In the world, there are the oil abundant countries and the oil purchasing countries that compete on the world oil market. As the demand for oil increases with the populations of China and India in particular, the prices will consequently increase as well (1). Also, as tensions worldwide intensify with bombings in the Middle Eastern area and threats of missile firings in the Far East, the market of oil is also surged upwards. Therefore, the use of oil in the world needs to be curtailed before prices gauge checkbooks even more than the present state.
Curbing the use of oil is only the first of many idealistic alternatives and solutions to the global problem of prices at the pump but that is one goal intended for the long run at oil conservation. Not only are consumers who are filling their tanks at the end of painful gas prices but the governments worldwide are getting an earful. In France over a year ago farmers and truck drivers protested against the $6.81 per gallon fee which led to a government proposal of a nation wide $36 million package of gas tax breaks and rebates (2). The governments are stepping up to meet the hefty prices per barrel and helping to ease the pain of the people filling up their cars but like a sponge, governments can only take so much of the weight. This is why drivers and governments worldwide should be looking into the immediate alternative solutions to skyrocketing gas prices.
Alternative forms of transportation such as the subways, metros, buses, and transit systems are making a dent in the fight to lower gas demand but are not used as widely as they have the potential of doing. If more and more people worldwide sacrificed driving their car everywhere and instead took the bus or subway, gas could be saved as a whole and lower demand would bring the prices down as well. Another alternative to the high prices would be to change the type of car one is driving and the type of fuel being used in ones tank. As new technology develops more rapidly in order to bring alternatives to the market, an array of options is becoming available to the consumer. Such options include hybrid cars, electric cars, highly fuel efficient cars, hydrogen based fuel, ethanol based fuel, and fuel cells. However, although these alternatives are “out there” it is more so a matter of going out and investing into them instead of taking the passive way and just paying the higher price.

In an attempt to lower prices and be self sufficient, for example, Brazil is promoting the usage of their own nation made ethanol through the by products of sugar cane milling. On the other end of the ocean in England, where gas is almost double the cost of it in the U.S., the government is giving bigger tax cuts to those who drive Smart Cars which are more environmentally friendly and have better fuel efficiencies (3). If more steps like these countries can be started and developed, a worldwide evolution of technology advancement can be initiated and perpetuated in the world of oil and oil alternatives.
Besides the steps people can take on an individual level, there are other bigger problems that hold a world wide responsibility. Governments globally need to step in and begin to set standards for car companies to meet such as drawing the line of acceptable cars based on fuel efficiency and ensuring that all gas tanks can accept ethanol, gas, and fuel cells at the same time for the future. If not just demanding these requirements, the governments should put down money to ensure that they happen. Another thing governments worldwide can do to further the life of oil and bring down prices for the future is to gather a global fund for oil extraction technology. Small forms of alliance can help people across oceans to ease and empathize with each other. Partnerships around the corners of the globe need to be met and maintained for the price of oil to remain in a safe state. As shown by the Middle East, when havoc breaks loose between the Israelis and Palestinians, uncertainty and gas prices shoot up (4).
In a brief statement, the world needs to see a diversification in supply and a decline in demand for oil while also providing the alternatives for people to grab hold of. The more choice there is on the market, the more the oil price is bound to decline.

What can YOU do today?
The high demand and wallet stinging price of oil clashing with the uncertainty in major oil producing countries calls for changes in the near and long term future for the world. Not only do nations need to start stepping up to the plate but individuals as well have to begin to change gears. Here are a few things to do on the individual scale that would subsequently affect the global scene.

1. Get Smart! Research facts, data, news articles (although watch for bias) and get to the bottom of the issue yourself
2. Take the initiative to change your habits and lifestyle. Take matters into our own hands and buy the clean emission car or use the mass transit system. Change doesn't start by telling others to do something you haven't done yourself.
3. Get Involved! Promote the alternatives to oil and become an advocate for the better cause; organize a strike or petition against oil producing companies, and lend active support for the companies who support and innovate new forms of alternative energy sources.
4. Get Connected! Gear up with the policy makers of your community, district, state, and nation to spread the word and promote the health of the environment and condition for the future.
5. Educate! With the populations of China and India pumping into a consumer based society, now with the innovation of cars, they are probably the most at risk to fall into a United States situation with the high need for oil. Promoting alternative fuels goes beyond a countries borders, it is information that needs to be globalized and used.

Where to learn more information:
Best and Worst Cars for the Environment: www.greenercars.com
International Energy Agency: http://www.iea.org/
Oil and Gas International: http://www.oilandgasinternational.com
National Resource Defense Council: http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/default.asp
Energy Efficiency Economy: http://www.aceee.org/

Footnotes Part 3:

1. “Why global oil prices are rising” http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/sep/01oil.htm

2. Blustein, Paul and Timberg,Craig “High Oil Prices Met With Anger Worldwide” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2005/10/02/AR2005100201315.html

3. “Global View of Gas Prices” http://video.msn.com/v/us/dw.htm?m=us&p=truveo&g=2781153c-8052-498e-a499-c89716e74c2a

4. “Mideast fears send oil above $78” http://www.cnn.com/2006/BUSINESS/07/13/oil.price.ap/index.html

Part 4. Realistically, what can be done about this issue?
By Cindy Lanzas

The G8 leaders are now meeting and discussing a number of issues including the problems of using oil for a main energy source. This is the most realistic action we can take on a global level. It’s unfortunate that more countries don’t or can’t participate in these types of meetings and have their sides heard and hear others. Understanding where other countries stand on the issue is key to beginning to find solutions.

While it is great that the leaders of these 8 countries are meeting, it seems that their problem solving is stunted by their primary concern for their own countries.
There is such competition between countries due to history and current events that they are very focused on their own countries’ well-being and are not completely open and willing to collaborate. They are paranoid that an idea initiated by other countries will end up benefiting the other country and leave them with the lesser outcome. This paranoia and suspicion prevents countries from having the most productive interactions possible. The best thing would be if the leaders could trust each other more, but it’s understandable that they don’t.
As individuals, we can voice our support for fixing the oil situation to our leaders and put actions behind our words by using less gas. When traveling to other countries, we can represent our countries as best as possible. Americans, especially, have a reputation in other countries for being loud, disruptive, and disregarding rules. If we, Americans, can present a better, more respectful identity of the American citizens to other countries, perhaps their opinion of America will shift, if only slightly, and political dealings can become less strained.
Recently, there was something of a gas war between Moscow, Russia and Kiev, Ukraine. Kiev disagreed with Moscow’s proposed price increase and, in turn, Moscow cut Ukraine’s gas supply. Moscow says that in doing so they did not short the European countries that receive gas through pipelines crossing Ukraine, yet the European countries were experiencing a shortage. Ukraine finally admitted that it had been withholding gas meant for those European countries (which receive 25% of their gas supply from Russia) because Moscow had been cutting Ukraine’s supply. Taking place during winter, the demand for gas was high and the withholding by Moscow and Ukraine was making the supplies low (3). Ukraine claims that Russia was using gas as a way to punish them for their westernized government system in addition to the price disagreement (1). If gas continues to be so precious, there is no doubt that there will be more disagreements like that between Russia and Ukraine. In addition, gas will continue to be used as a means of manipulation against other countries, leaving people – perhaps not even involved in the disagreement – without enough energy.
The G8 leaders say they want to increase competition so situations like that with Russia, Ukraine, and some European countries can’t happen due to one source having too much power (2). Should competition not expand and dependence on oil not decrease, those who distribute it will have a ridiculous amount of power and we will be easily manipulated.

Footnotes Part 4:

1. “Europe Suffers Gas Import Cuts Following Russia’s Move.” Mosnews. 2 January
2006. 16 July 2006. < http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/01/02/
ukrgasupdate.shtml>

2. “G8 Leaders Release Joint Statement on Energy Security.” Mosnews. 16 July 2006. 16
July 2006. < http://www.mosnews.com/money/2006/07/16/geightenergy.shtml>

3. “Ukraine Admits Withholding Russian Gas Meant for Europe.” Mosnews. 24 January
2006. 14 July 2006. < http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/01/24/
ukraineadmits.shtml>