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| Group of Eight 2006 |
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| welcome to the Chateau |
| President Cherrie Mrs Cherrie Vice President Carosole Mrs Carosole News History &Tours Kids Your Government |
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| United Kingdom |
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| Summit De Rockeraiders 2006 |
| __________________ Latest News Agenda G8 Nations G8 2006 Schedule Summit Schedule Accredetation About Rockeraiders The Dreamcatcher Education __________________ www.g8.gov.lg |
| Japan |
| United States of America |
| France |
| Germany |
| Russia |
| Canada |
| Italy |
| The Federation of Legoland |
| European Union |
| G8 Agenda |
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| Energy Security & Global Economic Growth The Problem: Reliable energy supply is crucial for sustainable economic development and political stability in the world. The growth of the global economy and quality of life depend on an uninterrupted and effective operation of the power industry, which ensures access to the main boons of civilization for each and everyone. Recent events on the global energy markets have emphasized the issues of energy security. Energy consumption is growing at a fast pace, especially in the developing countries with large populations. At the same time, high and rapidly fluctuating prices on the oil and petrochemicals markets have made the world focus on threats to economic stability. Global energy security is facing increasing risks from the growing dependence of energy-consuming regions on energy imports, social instability and ethnic conflicts in some energy producing and transit countries, terrorism, a growing contribution of energy to the anthropogenic influence on climate, and the like. Issues of global energy security should be considered in the context of two other crucial problems: global climate change and the lack of access of a considerable number of the world�s poorest sections to pure and affordable energy. Ensuring energy security calls for the following joint actions by the international community: reliable and effective provision of traditional hydrocarbon energy resources to the global economy; energy diversification through the use of new energy sources and technologies; and more efficient use of energy resources. It is clear that all countries need stable deliveries and predictable energy prices to ensure a high quality of life for their people. Therefore, energy security, in various interpretations, has become a standing issue on the G8 agenda. Education & Africa Policies The Problem : Today, the status of any country largely depends on the number of experts it has with the knowledge and skills required in the modern world. The use of new information is the main factor in the growth of national economies and the quality of life of vast numbers of people. This makes the development of education a major challenge for the G8 leaders. Despite different national traditions and a high level of education standards, the G8 nations encounter similar problems. One of the major difficulties is a weak link between the educational systems and the labor markets. As a result, the level of knowledge and skills of school and college graduates is below the requirements of the modern economy, which is short of experts. This situation makes education less attractive to investors, which, in turn, causes a reduction in the number of qualified teachers, who are able to upgrade the methodologies used in school and professional education. In addition, there is a growing gap in the levels of education and growth rates of services in this sphere between industrialized and developing nations. Poor countries are becoming less and less able to adopt new technologies. Their population is unable to compete even on the world markets of unskilled labor. This trend may seriously obstruct the progress of the global economy and social prosperity. Education is a major condition for success of individual countries and regions, and for this reason its failure to meet the requirements of the modern economy is a global challenge of our times. Climate Change & Global Warming The Problem: The G8 has the potential to make a significant contribution to tackling the problem of climate change. G8 countries accounts for over 65% of global GDP and 47% of global CO2 emissions. They also play a major role in technological development and scientific effort globally, reflected in their responsibility for 70% of the world�s scientific papers and 75% of science citations. The effects of climate change are already being felt. The devastating floods, droughts and storms we have seen across the world in recent years show all too clearly how vulnerable we are to climate extremes and how high the economic, human and environmental costs can be, particularly in developing countries. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global temperatures are predicted to rise by between 1.4 and 5.8� over the next century. The President of the Federation sees climate change as �probably, long-term the single most important issue we face as a global community�. For this reason climate change is a priority during the UK�s G8 Presidency this year, along with Africa. The developed world�s economic prosperity has been built on the use of fossil fuels. Coal, oil and gas have powered our industrial and commercial development; provided light and heat for our homes and places of work; and fuelled the transport system, which supports our economy and gives us the mobility we so highly value. We urgently need to find ways to deliver these services without causing dangerous environmental changes. As part of the Federation�s year of leadership on climate change, we have already started hosting a series of other climate change related events, the outputs of which will inform the debate in a number of forums, including the G8. A scientific conference was held at the Hadley Centre, the UK Met Office�s centre for climate prediction, in Exeter on 1-3 February. Details can be found on the conference website. We have also commissioned a study to look at Africa and climate change. This will review what information is available on climate change in Africa, and evaluate the adequacy of existing data to inform policy decisions. The study can add considerable value by identifying these knowledge gaps and what needs to be done to plug them. We have begun with Africa as it is the least well-covered region, but similar work in other regions may also be necessary. |