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Elmar Altvater

May 18, 2007

Elmar Altvater is a professor of political science at the Free University of Berlin and an advisor to the Attac activist organization.

https://p.dw.com/p/AfUo
Elmar AltvaterImage: Afraa Mohamad

During the G8 summit at Heiligendamm I will be participating in the opposition conference in Rostock discussing alternative ideas. The G8 summit itself means nothing to me, because what will it achieve?

They will probably make a few statements, but no real decisions, because this group has no power to do anything. It is an informal meeting and is only significant as a symbol of power and globalization.

Increasingly, the G8 has come to show the strength of opposition to globalization and the desire of many people to see an alternative form of globalization to what we have at the moment.

This year the issue of climate change will be particularly important, because it is threatening the survival of mankind. I don't think we can expect the G8 to really take into account the seriousness of this problem.

It is an issue that the anti-globalization movement has to put on the agenda, as a worldwide movement. Otherwise, all we will see are more statements on climate change, but nothing will come from them.