SUVs killing the malnourished

Yes, your gas guzzling SUV is not only contributing to the destruction of the environment, it's also putting the world's poor and starving in more jeopardy. According to the Guardian, a secret World Bank report finds that the production of biofuels has contributed up to 75% to recent rise in food prices. The report, completed in April, was not released in order to not cause an embarrassment to George W. Bush, who's championing biofuels to reduce American dependence on foreign oil. Read more here.

19.20.21.

19.20.21. -- 19 cities in the world with 20 million people in the 21st century, is a cool project, collecting data to gain a better understanding of how supercities are redefining the future -- culturally and economically (and if I may add, also environmentally). The 19 supercities chosen for this study may be surprising. Only two are in America, and in total, nine reside in the developed nations of the world. The others are in developing countries. The cities: Los Angeles, New York City, London, Berlin, France, Tokyo, Osaka-Kobe, Seoul-Incheon, Moscow, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bueno Aires, Istanbul, Cairo, Tehran, Karachi, Beijing, Shenzhen, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, and Lagos.

The mission of 19.20.21. is a multi-year, multimedia initiative to collect, organize and better understand population's effect regarding urban and business planning and its impact on consumers around the world. This 5+ year initiative will deliver results via 5 channels: web (including mobile), television (broadcast and cable), print (magazine, books and atlases), exhibits and seminars (virtual and onsite). This project will include 10 worldwide partners.

Any company with a focus on globalization will find the patterns and explanations in 19.20.21. indispensable. Whether you are a head of state, a leader of a corporation, a media or communication company, a consumer, a parent, or an armchair tourist, 19.20.21. will be a crucial tool for charting and understanding your destiny in the new world order for decades to come.

In 1800, less than 3% of the world lived in cities. Most people lived their entire lives without ever seeing one.

In 1900, 150 million people lived in the world's cities. That number has now surged past 3 billion and last year crossed another tipping point: more than half the people on earth now live in cities. By 2050 -- it will be more than 2/3 of us. Humans are now an urban species, cramming into vast urban agglomerations.

The population, including the public and private sector, is currently not prepared for life in these intensely urban hubs, not have communication strategies been honed to handle the resulting clutter in the urban marketplace.

19.20.21. will study culture, economics, societal infrastructure, physical infrastructure -- forecasting the future for cities and the challenges and opportunities that lies ahead.

It sounds like a cool project, and even though Toronto isn't on the list, I'd love to be a part of this. Toronto's population isn't big enough -- although, with our diversity, I think we'd make a good case study.

An oil-addicted ex-superpower

Michael T. Klare writes in Asia Times Online, of the demise of the US as the world's only remaining superpower, due to the ridiculously high price of oil. Klare paints a picture of America's economic and military might that is heavily dependent on cheap and abundant oil, and suggests that America's oil addiction is spelling its doom. It's an interesting read, but I don't buy it. What Klare fails to point out is that America's adventure in the Middle East has the stench of colonialism -- and rather than the demise of a superpower, it may actually spell the resurgence of the good ole days.

Dharavi: Asia's Largest Slum

Dharavi is reportedly one of the biggest slums in the world, with a population of more than 1 million people, spread over an area of 175 hectares. Unless you live in a slum, you probably can't fathom this level of congestion. Stuck in the middle of Mumbai, between the city's two main railway lines, Dharavi is rapidly evolving into a city within a city. It is a place where the unwanted of India's caste system are kings -- where an informal economy is humming away, creating products that make it all the way to the shelves of big boxes in North America and Europe. It's a testament to the human condition that such a place exists -- and despite the odds, such a place is working.

Read more in:

• The Economist: A Flourishing Slum
• National Geographic: Dharavi: Mumbai's Shadow City
• BBC News: Life in a Slum
• Dharavi via Google Maps:

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Can China Be Fixed?

China is in a bit of a quandary. The country, opened to economic growth by Deng Xiaoping, remains closed otherwise, by the current Communist Party leadership. The result: unparalleled economic growth by any country in the history of the world, and tremendous challenges on the social, environmental and political fronts, that ironically, perhaps only a strong central -- and dare I say, one party -- government, may be capable of solving without risking the economic collapse of the country. Unfortunately, the government that can fix the problems, is also the cause of the problems.

China's central government stresses economic growth above all else. To achieve these goals, local government officials dabble in industry, compromising the welfare of the state and its people. They invest heavily in local businesses -- sometimes tying business prosperity with personal fortunes of corrupt politicians. This has led to lax laws or simply laws that aren't enforced to protect China's people, environment and society.

The same policies that have been so successful at boosting the gross domestic product by developing new export industries and public works projects, it turns out, undermine initiatives that might move China's economy to a higher level. In its pursuit of growth at all costs, China skimped on investments needed to provide basic affordable health care and the regulatory machinery that can enforce environmental, safety, and corporate governance regulations nationwide. [BusinessWeek]

China needs to change, and just as rapidly as it has developed economically. The developed world has invested a lot in China for its production capability, but more and more, are demanding that China takes on the responsibility of joining the ranks of the developed nations. What China does in the coming decades will speak volumes on whether its aspirations lie tactically in production capability -- or strategically, as a world leader and a first world nation.

Further reading:

• Light on its feet
• One country, no democracy
• Smog gets in your eyes
• An Importer's Worst Nightmare

Would You Pay to Leave the Amazon Undeveloped?

Ecuador has asked to be compensated for leaving the environment alone -- specifically, to leave the 1 billion barrels of oil under the Ishpingo-Tiputini-Tambococha oil fields located in the Amazon rainforest. In return, for an estimated US$350m per year, the world will get Equador's stake in the Amazon, with its great biodiversity, and natural oxygen replenishment and carbon sequestration system. The $350m is half of what Equador is projects it could generate per year if it taps into the oil fields. The world has one year to respond.

I'm unsure if this will make it onto the radar of many countries -- especially those of the west. I fully expect that this proposal to be ignored by the world's government and mainstream media. This proposal puts governments in a tough spot. As environmental concerns make it onto the agendas of those in power across the world, this proposal forces the issue -- it demands that governments put money against the chest-thumping they've been indulging in lately. So it will be ignored.

If, by some miracle, it does make it onto the agenda of governments, this will most likely be played out as Equador holding the world at ransom -- demanding cash or they will do horrible things to themselves and us in the process. That is a relevant perspective to take. Equador is holding the world at ransom. They should however. Developed nations demand that developing nations meet the same environmental targets as that they're being held to. On the flipside however, there is a general unwillingness of governments in the developed nations to take steps to curb their consumption. Those in the developing world have similar aspirations as we do -- yet are being asked to make the sacrifices we are unwilling to make ourselves.

This is a test of our morals, our ethics and our courage. This is our world, and for once, a developing nation is demanding that we -- every single one of us -- step up to the challenge and see this world as ours, and not just when it's convenient for us to do so.

I'm not naive. This is a heck of a lot more complicated than I'm painting it here. Politics tend do that to issues. This is also very simple and can be reduced down to the question: Would you pay to leave the Amazon undeveloped?

I would.

The Trouble With India

I've read a few arguments that compared the waking of the two sleeping giants: India and China, and which one will be able to capitalize and sustain the transition from third world, sprawling chaos, to developed nationhood. The advocates of democracy stress that no where in the world is there a successful country built from single party rule -- and only with freedom, can a country be successful by all measures of what success is: economic strength, social justice, freedom, etc. Thus far however, no one would argue that China is realizing successes while India continues to struggle.

The latest issue of BusinessWeek carries a cover article that explores what is troubling India. There is much. Most notably, an infrastructure that is totally lacking and in need of investment; and rampant corruption that is bilking resources and time from much needed investments. India's growing prestige in the world is coming mostly from its technology and related services sector. These are businesses that don't need infrastructure investment. Then there is China, which has grown due to its manufacturing prowess -- requiring huge infrastructure investment. China is catching up to the developed nations, while India struggles, and the gap between the rich and poor widens. With infrastructure and manufacturing investment, India's poor would also benefit from the growth. In China, decisions flow from the top. While there is no doubt corruption, there is no debate on what should be done. Not the case in India, where the sprawling bureaucracy moves at a lazy pace.

Will a democracy prevail over the new single party rule China is modeling? Can both models be successful? Only time will tell.