Peru: Is Global Warming a priority or not?

Peru: Is Global Warming a priority or not?

Alan Garcia will not be attending the Copenhagen meeting for global warming. Many here say he has more important things to do. On Tuesday I climbed the Ausangate glacier with a specialist from the area. He says that in 30 years these tropical glaciers and others will be gone.

It wouldn't be an enormous problem if entire communities did not depend on the water that comes down from the glaciers. They use it for their crops, mostly potatoes, and for their cattle.

What shocked me the most is that the indigenous people that have barely access to electricty knew about the meeting in Copenhagen. The told me "we hope they can help us build dams or other ways to save water for when the glacier is gone". It also surprised me that the pray to the mountain and call it "Apu". They know that their livelihood depends on the water coming down from there.

Again....Alan Garcia won't be going to Copenhagen. Never mind that millions of Peruvians are already suffering from the effects of global warming and that Peru needs the help of the international community in order to help these people adapt.

Since he took office Alan Garcia has turned economic development into a top priority and this country has shown China like  growth rates. Garcia passed a series of decrees that opened up the Amazones to foreign companies in search for oil and gas. The decrees provoked a series of clashes between indigenous groups and the police that left dozens of people dead.

For many here , the  environment is not a top priority for this government. Growth rates are, never minding  the consequences. Some local NGOs  told me that Garcia is not going to Copenhagen because he is afraid of scaring investors away. Investors that in many cases have shown that they do not respect the environment and that the government has done little to put them in place.