Editorial - Why Should Developing Countries Believe G-8 Pledges? - NYTimes.com

Editorial - Why Should Developing Countries Believe G-8 Pledges? - NYTimes.com: ""

(Via .)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, the host of this June’s Group of 8 summit meeting, said last week that “if the G-8 is to remain credible, accountability is absolutely necessary.” He is right. Leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations can start bolstering their credibility by explaining how they plan to fill the $20 billion gap between the foreign aid they promised to send to developing countries and what they are actually giving.

This is not just an issue of morality. It is also one of strategic leverage. Rich industrial nations have promised even more aid to developing countries to try to persuade them to curb carbon emissions — stop chopping down their forests and switch from dirty coal to cleaner fuels — and tackle climate change. Given the G-8’s track record, poorer nations are right to be skeptical.