On 11 October, the strife-torn state of Liberia will go to the polls to elect a president. In Shanghai, Buicks, Volkswagens and Toyotas are pushing the famous bicycles off the streets faster than fuel can fill their tanks: oil use doubled between 1994 and 2004.Environmentalists want China to do something no developing country its size has managed: leap-frog the smokestack phase of development to clean economy But they acknowledge that it won't be easy.. In Bomi county, two hours' north of Monrovia, an excited crowd is clapping and cheering the most charismatic politician ever to make a stump speech on their patch. George Weah, world footballer of the year in 1995, ex-star of AC Milan, one of Italy's most famous football clubs, is making his play for the presidency. "Liberia belongs to all of us," he tells an audience who lived through the appalling civil conflicts of the time of former president Charles Taylor "Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist No Liberian is better than another We are all the same and we must have justice and equality.
What happens when China's 1.3 billion people (and counting) get the cars and air conditioners that people in the West take for granted? Whither the planet when China's income per capita, currently about $1,000 (£570), starts approaching the UK's $26,000? Once the preserve of science-fiction, this scenario now looms alarmingly real. China's economy is steaming ahead at a rate of 9 per cent a year, and doubling in less than every 10 years. On current trends, the Chinese - one-fifth of the world's population - will be within reach of the coveted Western lifestyle in a generation.And why shouldn't they have a slice of the world's crumbling economic pie? Because, say environmental campaigners, if they continue to follow the Western consumer model, we will all go up in flames.The damage is already mind-numbing: China has 16 of the world's 20 most-polluted cities, and for 70 per cent of its energy needs it depends on coal, helping make it the planet's second largest producer of greenhouse gases.And despite consuming more oil (6 million barrels a day) than any other country except the US (20 million) it is gasping for energy: blackouts are common and power generation is set to fall short by up to 23,000 megawatts this year. India still has relatively few private cars, but that is changing fast.. It's the nightmare scenario that environmentalists dread. Ironically, Britain and France are probably closer than any two other G8 members on the two main issues on the agenda: Africa and climate change. Despite that, British officials are braced for an outburst from M. Chirac, especially if London pulls off a surprise victory over Paris.Mr Blair also had potential problems over the Gleneagles summit yesterday.
Although he is confident of hitting his target of doubling aid to Africa, battles over the wording of the summit communiqu?emain. A government source said: "It's not a done deal yet."One issue is over the timing of the aid boost. Campaigners want an immediate injection of $25bn (£14bn), but the G8 may spread the payment over five years. There are also disputes over the precise figure to be announced..