Does saving the planet mean an end to industry, progress and development?
The earth Summit took place in Rio last June. In spite of the enormous cost ($123 million) and publicity (8,749 media people.) the final results were two weak treaties and the agreement of some “principles” on the environment. Even this was too much for America who refused to sign the Bio-Diversity Treaty, fearing for their bio-technology industry. In Rio itself an estimated 700 “street children” have been murdered since January (according to the Centre for the Mobilisation of Marginalised Populations) in an attempt to beautify the city. Once again the capitalists proved unwilling to tackle the problems of under-development and environmental degradation. Given their past record this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. However there are serious problems and it would be wrong for socialists and anarchists to down-play them. For example, according to the World Bank’s World Development Report for 1992 well over one billion people in the so-called developing nations suffer from water-borne
