World Forests and the G8 Economic Powers: from Imperialism to the Action Programme on Forests

Abstract

Forest issues have only recently appeared on the agendas and resolutionsof general global politics both in the frameworks of the United Nations and the G8economic powers. The latter group launched the G8 Action Programme on Forests in1998. A historical review of exploitation of foreign timber resources by G8 membercountries is carried out. International power politics is defined as a process whereone country is able to change the behavior of another country against its own will.Canada is the only G8 member that has no imperialistic past in the exploitation oftimber resources from foreign countries. The other seven, the United States, theUnited Kingdom, Japan, Russia, Germany, France and Italy have colorful histories inthis context, applying power politics until the end of the colonial epoch. The G8Programme is compact and concerns only a few countries. It has considerable potential,but so far its implementation has been limited to rhetoric. The appearance ofsuch a forestry program on the global political agenda can be considered as an achievementas such. The paper proposes that the G8 should adopt the eight largest forestowningdeveloping countries as their partners in order to mobilize the implementationof the G8 Programme. Some 70% of the world’s total forest area would then beunder sustainable forest management. The G8 countries have proposed that privatecorporations should follow an ethical code of conduct. In the same way, the G8countries should be motivated to implement their Action Programme because oftheir imperialistic past.