Clinton mentions world’s 3 most significant problems

MANILA, Philippines—Inequality in global economics and instability in world politics are making it difficult for countries like the Philippines to operate on a level equal to more progressive nations.

Former US President Bill Clinton made this observation at the “Embracing Our Common Humanity” forum on Wednesday as he urged Filipinos to seek “opportunities for prosperity” to balance the situation.

He mentioned three “most significant problems we see in the modern world.”

First, Clinton said, “the world is entirely too unequal to sustain the kind of economic growth to lift everyone in the Philippines, to give everyone good education, give everybody a chance to get a job or start a good business.”

He added that this situation was also evident in many other countries.

World poverty

“Looking at it globally, with market economics dependent on finding more and more customers, many people earn less than a dollar a day, many people do not have access to clean water. Two and a half billion people have no access to basic sanitation and one-fourth of the deaths worldwide come from AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and infections from water,” Clinton said.

“Second, the world we live in is too unstable to be completely sustainable. You see it in how rapidly the financial crisis that I’m sad to say began in the US, spread around the world. You can see it in terror with no national borders. You can see it in the growth of … narco-trafficking.”

Zeroing in on terrorist activities in Mindanao, Clinton noticed that “the continuing political conflicts with the (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) and other dissident groups” indicated “a continuing war between people who are basically interested in dividing up political or economic pie and those who are committed to growing it.”

Clinton also lamented the reality of climate change and its tremendous global impact.

The third problem, he said, is that greenhouse gases responsible for this phenomenon would remain an issue because “ways of producing (alternative) energy are not sustainable.”

“Many countries are not convinced they need to cut down green gas emissions in a way that makes it good economics,” he said, referring to the failure to sign an international agreement on climate change.

“I’m convinced that it’s not true. But in the last decade China spent twice as much money as the US to build solar and wind capacity but they won’t sign an agreement because they’re not sure they can meet (the requirements) and still grow their economy,” Clinton added.

Clinton said Philippine political and business leaders should practice corporate social responsibility while placing a special focus on the environment and exploring more sustainable energy sources to jumpstart this effort.

“Looking at problems of the modern world, it almost seems like the political equivalent of chaos theory in physics,” Clinton said.

Amazing statistic

Recalling his brief Palace visit just before the forum, Clinton said he was “complimenting President Aquino that 43 percent of your electricity come from domestic resources—geothermal and hydro and natural gas. That is an amazing statistic.”

“I urge you to keep working so you can reach a hundred (percent domestic energy sourcing) because it’s good for national security, it’s good for economic security, it means more jobs and makes you much more competitive for long-term investment,” he suggested.

Clinton said he admired the move of his former classmate, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, to file a bill on corporate social responsibility as well as the continued efforts of former President Fidel Ramos to write books and immerse himself in social issues.

“You want people in these presidential jobs, no matter what their political differences, who have a clear idea of how countries need to change and to have sustainable energy. Nobody is going to succeed in anything they do unless they know where they want to go and have a realistic plan to get there,” Clinton said.

Prior to Clinton’s talk, Regina Lopez of Bantay Kalikasan and Pacita Juan of Echo Store spoke of their personal experiences on successful social responsibility efforts to inspire those present in the forum. –Cathy C. Yamsuan, Philippine Daily Inquirer