Team Pangaea J8 Summit 2009

The environment and climate change

Describe two ideas for ways G8 countries can achieve sustainable and efficient energy
supply, energy consumption reduction and other measures to curb global warming and
better protect the integrity of the environment. (Maximum 300 words)

Global warming and climate change is a reality that cannot be overlooked by G8

countries. According to NASA, the average global temperature has risen 1.4 degrees
Fahrenheit since 1880, and is hastily escalating. Melted glaciers, disappearing Arctic ice,
increased frequency of extreme weather, and wildfires can all be attributed as supporting
evidence for climate change.

GREEN Label Program

G8 countries must establish an international “Green Label Program” to be put into

place, where products of all types are labelled to show the public that it meets certain
environmental standards outlined by the program. These standards will include factors such
as waste manageability, packaging standards, product make-up, and an energy efficiency
factor. This program is very similar to the EnergyStar program, which has been successful in
indicating to consumers exactly which products are most environmentally friendly. In
addition, those products that achieve Green Label status will benefit from tax reductions by
the government. Thus, through the effective use of the free market system of G8 countries,
companies will have the incentive to produce environmentally friendly products, and the label
will raise awareness among consumers and the general public.

Research Organizations and Strict Deadlines

The industrialized G8 countries must be the ones researching new processes to curb
the effects of global warming, and creating alternative sources of energy. First, committees
in each G8 country should be established that dedicate their efforts toward researching
technology such as cloud seeding, which is believed to be able to reduce the rise of global
temperatures. In addition, G8 countries should encourage environmental research through
government incentives, in order to make alternative sources of energy such as wind, solar,
hydroelectric, and geothermal, more cost effective and suitable for urban use. To
compensate for hefty initial costs, newly uncovered technology could also be retailed to the
global community

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Team Pangaea J8 Summit 2009

HIV and AIDS

Infectious diseases such as HIV are a major burden on the health and well-being of people –
particularly children– in many low-income countries. Describe two measures to help curb the
spread of HIV that can be undertaken by G8 leaders. (Maximum 300 words)

Each year, over 40 million people struggle to survive with HIV; with more than 3
million of them - children. The problem is affecting their education, living conditions, and
work life. More importantly, more than 12 million children are orphaned as a result of HIV.
Team Pangaea, along with the help of Canadian youth, has developed concrete strategies
to combat this growing epidemic.

Education for Prevention

In order to combat the growth of HIV, education in HIV prevention must be instilled at
an early age. All children, living in HIV prone areas, should go through a programme to help
them understand the facts about HIV and possible methods of prevention. The proposed
curriculum should be constructed to fit the education levels within the respective region,
while adhering to any specific requirements such as language and literacy barriers. In
addition, the programme should be tied into the school system or be brought to affected
people through assistance from external organisations. The entire education campaign
should also be tied to a national awareness campaign for HIV, to further increase awareness
amongst adults, similar to China’s approach for World AIDS Day in 2003.

Programmes to Effectively Administer Treatment

Drug treatment is the only way to prolong death from HIV and millions are barred
access to these drugs. G8 nations should immediately resolve to make treatment for children
with HIV, free and easily accessible throughout the world. But, the G8 should create an
external committee free from irresolute parliamentary influences, to effectively administer the
drugs. In addition, treatment for drug users and sex workers should be free and easily
accessible, along with safe needle clinics and condoms. Governments in developing nations
should also pass necessary policies and legislation to pressure foreign corporations into
providing mandatory treatment for poor, HIV positive employees.

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Team Pangaea J8 Summit 2009

Food Security and Global Financial Crisis

Every year, the leaders at the G8 Summit discuss some of the world’s most pressing issues,
of which there are many. In the space below, please identify the global issue you feel is
particularly relevant to your team and to young people around the world and describe a
response that you think G8 leaders should support. (Maximum 300 words)

An estimated 35 000 people die from insufficient access to food, everyday. Even in
Canada, an industrialized G8 nation, an estimated 2.5 million people rely on food banks
every year, and approximately 1 billion people around the world remain food insecure. Food
security is an issue that is of particular concern to Team Pangaea and worldwide youth.
However, after assessing this issue, our team unanimously decided that a response should
not address this issue alone, for food security is clandestinely affiliated with other issues
such as the global economic financial crisis.

Increasing Third-World Trade

G8 Countries must eradicate unfair trade barriers and trade practices with third world
countries to help lift millions out of poverty. Robust commodity trading regulations must also
be established within the global community to prevent outrageous price instability in
speculating markets. When crude oil rose above $140CAD/Barrel in 2008, millions around
the world were pushed further into food insecurity and starvation, as a result of resulting
inflation in compulsory food supplies. International aid must also be distributed more fairly
and directly through ground-zero organizations such as UNICEF, without imposing irrational
conditions such as reduced government spending, which unintentionally can result in the
eradication of vital subsidies for farmers.

Promoting Entrepreneurship and Microcredit

Furthermore, entrepreneurship, especially in the form of Microcredit must be

pursued to a greater extent and even subsidized, for third-world nations to reverse
plummeting economic growth, a consequence of the global financial crisis estimated to force
53 more million people to live on less than $2 USD/day. A paltry $100 CAD Microloan can
provide much needed tools to an aspiring third-world entrepreneur. Be it seeds to a farmer,
or a sowing machine to a tailor, this loan can finally crush the bonds of poverty and hunger,
granting a better life for future generations.