By improving international relations, society will increase the likelihood of moving toward solutions. Communication and dialogue between rich and poor countries will help each to understand the other's problems. Politicians and the general population of developed countries can be shown the effects of their overconsumption. Likewise, politicians and decision makers in developing countries can demonstrate their willingness to protect their own environment and natural resources if they are given the opportunity and assistance necessary to do so.

A coordination of international effort will be necessary for success because of the competitive nature of today's global economy. Rich countries would be more inclined to make sacrifices if they could be assured that other rich nations would make similar sacrifices. Similarly, developing countries could be more easily convinced to apply better environmental practices if they could be assured that their competitors would do likewise. If a majority of developed countries do agree to make sacrifices, and a majority of developing countries agree to apply better environmental practices, those countries that do not wish to participate can be placed under tremendous international pressure to come into line. This international pressure does not always work, but as our national economies become more and more closely tied to a global economy, the ability to ignore international pressure diminishes.

Clearly, improved international relations alone is not a solution. However, significant action is unlikely to occur until the seriousness of the situation is widely acknowledged, and the true seriousness of the situation is only evident from a global perspective. The 1992 UNCED Earth Summit in Brazil went a long way toward raising the international profile of global change issues. What is needed now is international cooperation and action toward finding solutions. Making pledges and signing international conventions are easy compared to the effort involved in actually carrying out those promises. In the short term, people in developing countries will benefit the most, but in the long term, those benefits will be spread across the entire planet.

Taking Action

Specifically, international action must occur in the following problem areas:

• Debt in the developing countries: The planet cannot afford to continue extracting scarce natural resources simply to repay debt. The direction of wealth flow must be reversed so that developing countries become net recipients. The eventual goal is to narrow the gap between the economies of the rich and poor countries of the world.

• Increased foreign aid to developing countries: The international standard of committing 0.7% of GNP to foreign aid was met by only five countries in 1991. Also, care must be taken to ensure that the money and resources are used in ways that truly help the people and the environment, and does not become diverted by corrupt governments.

• Liberalized trade between developing and developed countries: Trade barriers that restrict access to the markets of developed countries must be eliminated to allow developing countries the opportunity to become more than just a source of inexpensive raw resources.

• Economic and living standards in developing countries must improve, but the negative environmental consequences of prosperity must be avoided: Developing countries cannot industrialize in the same environmentally degrading manner perpetuated by the developed countries over the past two centuries. Instead, developing countries must incorporate clean technology whenever available, and developed countries will have to assist in making these cleaner technologies available and affordable to them.

• Rich countries must consume a lower share of the Earth's resources: This can be achieved, in part, through greater efficiency and technological innovation, but may ultimately require absolute reductions in the consumption of some resources.

• All nations of the world, but particularly the developed countries, must vigorously promote research which will significantly improve our understanding of the “interactive physical, chemical and biological processes that regulate the total Earth system, the unique environment that it provides for life, the changes that are occurring in this system, and the manner in which they are influenced by human activities” (aim of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme of the International Council of Scientific Unions).