The problem arises when all the summits become are media circuses for politicians to score publicity points. The summits are actually there for a reason, funnily enough. When during the G7 (sigh, + Russia) they spent more time deciding on the most advantageous wording for their press release at the end than actually deciding on important and pressing issues like the environment and unemployment, one begins to wonder what's the point.

Now I'm sure that some politicians truly do want to get something done. Tony Blair has plenty of drive to keep him going and he's focussed on doing things. Above all he doesn't have to worry about any looming elections. But one man can't do it all, even if he was going to try to (which he won't). We, the world, need the USA to commit to some real progress in environmental matters. Their population makes up around 5% of the world's yet they account for almost half the pollution. I don't blame the average American but it is the unwillingness of large businesses to pay the necessary costs and in the process pressurising the government to guarantee that they won't incur such 'green' costs.

Amsterdam seemed a little more productive but we still had heads of state racing on bicycles! Please, one photo shoot after lunch and that's it, the rest should be work. Europe needs all the time we can give it right now and so does the environment. Scoring brownie points with the media is not going to make those problems go away. Its time to start working and stop playing.

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by Jason P. Kitcat [e-mail him]