Transcripts For ALJAZ Counting The Cost 2019 Ep 52 20240713

Hello im Adrian Finnigan this is counting the cost on aljazeera a weekly look at the world of business and economics this week 2019 and what a year its been called the world put aside short Term Economic gain to save humankind from latin america to the middle east people took to the street to protest the unequal spread of wealth and demand that governments and staring. At a trade war between the United States and china has put the brakes on Global Growth and is reshaping globalization. The biggest story of this year and for that matter this century has to be Climate Change and the lack of will or apparently the lack of will to do anything about it with the exception of the European Union theres very little effort to reduce emissions the cost of our inaction has been put at 2000000000. 00 a day the United Nations says that 48. 00 trillion dollars needs to be spent by 2050 to avoid catastrophe for humankind that means putting survival ahead of short term profits government submitted a virtue to deny the encroaching dangerous while the amazon went up in flames in a land grab by ranches brazils right wing president jaya bolster the hollow was blaming environmentalists for manufacturing a crisis brazils handling of the situation strained its relationship with the e. U. Now to 0 so theres a bo has a report now from a top up in brazil. Every day because who somebody see there goes into the National Park to look for seeds hes trying to preserve the rain forest and the dozens of species that live in it. The threat of deforestation has become a major problem and then goes like this there are fighting back and what do we. What we are seeing is really bad and they are burning the forest so our work looks into encouraging farmers to enroll in comic alternatives i dont destroy the forests have Environmental Impact or killed over. There that is growing fountains of trees every year and help locals make a living while also caring for the environment the ngos funded by whats called the amazon fund handled by the government the fundraising is donations to help fight deforestation in amazonia deforestation and the fires have already destroyed large sectors of the amazon rain forest but there are projects like this one that are trying to preserve and re forest the areas that have been already devastated there are more than 40 species here of trees and crops the problem is that projects like this one are now at risk. Germany and norway are crucial sponsors of the fund that helps over 100. 00 projects like this one but they have halted all payments to condemn president jade also now those environmental policies. Well we are better has managed to reforest 800. 00 hectares of trees this year. Alexander gatos fears a drop in donations will impact their work. But were very concerned but weve been working on our projects through the amazon fund and petrobras for a long time that being said sir t. G. Clee were already looking for other sources of funding we want to find ways so that the funds dont go through the government. A long time skeptic of Environmental Concerns wants to open the amazon to more agriculture and mining yes even a dig out of those who has been working to protect indigenous groups living in london for years she has been threatened by loggers and miners but International Funding has allowed her to do her work. Then we have much more work now because the local environmental authorities are committed to the cause but feel alone threatened and without support from the government so we are trying at least to show the world there are people who care about the environment but we dont have any support instead we are being weakened by the governments narrative. And shell say theyre ready to fight attempt to commercialise the rain forest but need International Aid to do so they say they can protect what brazils president will not now rising sea levels a sinking and polluted capital were just some of the reasons that indonesias president djoko would order gave for plans to move the capital to the island of borneo it was also a mission that jakarta the island of java dominate the countrys economy but economic success things to be spread more fairly across the 17000. 00 archipelago aljazeera mohamad reports. This largely untouched part of east montoya on will become the new capital of indonesia if the president has his way. Its in stark contrast to the capital jakarta clogged with heavy traffic smog and sinking the pressure to move is rising along with sea levels which may mean the city of more than 10000000 people could be under water within the next 30 years. And this is where the citys relocation may end up Borneo Island known for its lost rain forest and rare wildlife while it was chosen for being less prone to earthquakes and floods there are concerns the massive move will threaten conservation efforts activists say mining and logging have already damaged some areas. Will destroy the eco system it will cause forest the structure and raise the temperature of forest fires and during the drought will create a water shortage moving the capital has been discussed for decades but recently resurrected by president djoko we dont owe. Estimated to cost 32000000000. 00 it will be one of the Worlds Largest single infrastructure projects. The plan is to build the city on land between east. Cities Public Public and summer into connected by this 1009. The 1st stage of construction will be around this will be a president ial palace of housing for governments and schools elsewhere theyll be Hotels Businesses and offices to meet the demands of the cities of new population while the new capital is welcomed by many indonesians villages in pasir fear theyll be forced off land theyve lived on for generations. We worry about the legality of our land 20 percent of us have the legal documents he lost to us foreigners have been coming here its causing tension in the Community Government leaders in jakarta say the exact site of the new city hasnt been revealed to avoid property speculation. We dont need to ask people when we want to move the capital its up to the government to decide as long as we dont destroy the environment or harm anybody while plans are still in the early stages the 1st construction is expected to be complete by 2020 full movie and entire capital city will be a delicate balancing act for indonesias leaders preserving the natural habitat while building their vision for a new concrete jungle inequality and the equal spread of wealth for so contributed to discontent across continents from the protests in france to lebanons cash crunch right now a rebellion in latin america against the politics of more of the same in chile the rise of triumph led to street protests which morphed into calls for an end to near liberalism or freewheeling capitalism in america we see a new been reports. Chile is accustomed to frequent and strong 1st. What an unprecedented social outburst that exploded 3 weeks ago sending much deeper shock waves throughout what was seen as latin americas most stable and prosperous democracy. It was sparked off by a relatively small increase in the metro fare but millions of chileans sought as the last straw and took to the streets to show that theyve had enough of an Economic System that they say hasnt delivered its promise of prosperity except for an increasingly wealthy few 57 year old drill some orthodox has worked as a maid all her life her eldest son and husband what can construction and became unemployed this week like millions of middle and lower middle class chileans their deep in debt and struggling just to feed themselves and we have to make it all. But a must worst is yet to come yesterday i was on the bus with a 75 year old pensioner who still works of the maid because have a pension is 236. 00 which is more than i get no one can survive and we all have to work to drop that. Overhauling chillies private Pension System which was installed during the former military dictatorship is one of the most pressing demands along with decent wages Public Health Care Education and affordable transportation the list of grievances is drawn across as children have all taken part in the ongoing demonstrations. But. I agree if they continue to be 5 years to wake up all those promises about how the return of the market would bring us happiness all the years of injustice you shouldnt have come to this but hopefully we get something out of it this time. Chile isnt latin americas poorest country on the contrary on the books it has the highest per capita income in the region and a stable economy based on an extreme free market model and some see that as the problem and then more people from america. Nomic model established by the constitution hands Education Health care Social Security and Labor Relations over to the private sector the state plays a minimum role model has been very successful in generating wealth but has also generated enormous levels of inequality. Chile is the member of the o. E. C. D. With the highest income disparity. But conservative senator one dismisses the notion that the economic model needs to be overhauled. Lets put things into context chile has made incredible strides in the last 30 years its reduce poverty from 47. 9 percent to 3 percent its a country that has changed dramatically economically and socially. But not fast enough chileans who say that theyve been abused by a system that guarantees enormous profits for the private sector while millions are struggling to stay afloat on increasingly meager salaries the vast majority of the protests are peaceful but every day small but violent groups of vandals and hooded protesters destroyed public and private property until now the mass protests had been confined to the mid and downtown areas of santiago as well as working class neighborhoods 0 6 but now they are relocating to the very heart of whats nicknamed magic a spinoff of manhattan because of its weight that includes south america tallest building this is the gateway most most affluent neighborhoods and what these protesters are trying to do is demonstrate the 1st social uprising will also impact those who have. The prices has driven down this years economic forecasts as well as chiles currency but what started as an economic and social crisis has rapidly spiraled into a political one with calls for the president resignation and a new constitution resolving this crisis within chew. These Democratic Institutions is turning out to be the biggest challenge the idea of globalization has come under attack from president trumps make America Great again to Prime Minister moodys make in india want to trade war between china and the United States has taken a few points off Global Growth the biggest losers have been exporting nations like germany and japan we have 2 reports for you in a moment scott hyde the looks at some of the benefits from bangkok but 1st time their child free looks at the rise of steel prices thanks to the u. S. China trade. Small homebuilders are the hardest hit the shop owner lives with his extended family next door to where his future home should be taking shape. Building a roof needs a lot of rods if the prices were like before it would be done by now but with steel prices shooting up work on building our home a lifelong dream has stalled now we wait for the prices to go down bangladesh relies on importing scrap metal from the us to make steel rod which are the backbone of the New Buildings but they have become more expensive to build because they import costs have risen. President trans trade war with china is impacting banger the industry which imports a significant amount of scrap iron from the United States protectionist measures taken by the Us Administration is reducing supply and increasing prices and so the cost of construction. In. The capital dhaka is the heart of the still broad market still traders say business is bad and. Theres an impact with sols almost coming to a halt people who are planning to build a home a very cautious now as i have to borrow money while the market is volatile. Some steel traders are stockpiling stocks betting prices will rise when or if the trade war eventually ends yes the price is changed. Why are writing more on speculation and when it went up sharply president trams tariffs are costing poor countries as well his own and china theres been a construction boom in bangladesh over the past 20 years or so but the high price of Construction Materials such as steel are threatening to stall recent economic growth. With trade negotiations between the worlds 2 biggest economies still a work in progress still this close and reliant neighbors are feeling the impact. On the outskirts of bangkok wrote the poem runs a house where a Company Started by his father the medium sized business is heavily dependent on china factories their supply Raw Materials wrought upon users to manufacture products for his thai customers the trade war is costing him money but despite that he sees an upside. Down but i think theres benefit to be made in china may have all the materials that i need but here we have Skilled Labor who know the art and craft we can export our products without going through china worry about the trade war. In one high profile case thailand has actually won new business as a result of chinese tariffs on u. S. Goods u. S. Motorcycle giant Harley Davidson announced that its moving the manufacturing of its china bound bikes from the u. S. To thailand by the end of the year this to avoid tariffs levied on imports of american vehicles. The company had actually opened a factory in thailand before the trade war to supply the growing east asian market. But an Economic Advisor to one of thailands Largest Companies warns of a threat not just to thailand but to the Global Supply chain if china and the us cant settle their differences soon. Cleared was going to last longer theyre going to have. A long lasting change the direction of the team. That you seem to me going to be making ive become more in the now in the now rice that you called on me. That means china will rely less on neighboring countries for materials and good producing more of it so. That the bad news for countries like thailand its largest export market is china becoming here relies heavily on its big neighbor to the north so businesses could be forced to recalibrate their supply chain in may of this year a new economic bloc was born 24 nations came together to form the africa Continental Free Trade Area the aim of the block is to increase trade between nations by tearing down trade barriers the hope is to become the next European Union absent from the original group there was the regions biggest economy nigeria although it eventually put pen to paper but for the past few months nigerias borders have been closed to imports the government says thats needed to stop illegal goods being smuggled in and criminals moving freely aljazeera amid address reports now from the nigeria been in border these trucks have been stuck here at the nigeria been in border for months. Court by a sudden change of government policy theyre not allowed to go forward and cant go back. As has been importing and exporting goods for 23 years he says hes never seen anything like this. Government should hand over to us goods that weve already paid for and we have more than 500. 00 trucks on the bin the republic side of the border many of the goods are damaged. If this doesnt end the soon. Some businessmen say they have lost hundreds of millions of dollars since the middle of august when the government ordered the borders to be closed imports. This is one of the reasons the government says its because its illegally imported rice. Officials say the flow of contraband into nigeria is killing its economy and production and opening the door to criminals and weapons. We feel is initially that. They. Play a big broad and. Have been exploited. And therefore we have a duty and responsibility to engage in legitimate actions that would be. Better secure our people and more importantly stimulate the Little People the port of cotton or in ben in his 120 kilometers from Lagos Nigeria Officials Say many goods from coated or smuggled past customs inspectors summer is the busiest of nigerias border towns connecting the port city of cotton or in been a republic where the countrys commercial capital lagos this used to be a very important trading point for imported goods especially right now in this market i mean town there is little traffic since now you know closed its borders the government hopes that shutting down the borders will stop because from smuggling illegal got into the country. The security clampdown us forced up the prices of goods in markets and there are shortages in some places the government says the measures will grow nigerias economy in the long term. Officials say in the 1st 3 weeks of the border closures the revenues from import duty went to by more than 5 percent but that left many nigerians concerned about rising cost of food stuff. We dont get regular supplies of food stuff no food is getting in across the border and no food reaches us here from lagos we are in a fix the government says it wants to stop smugglers and criminals who pose a bigger threat to the country and its economy and will keep the borders closed for now and finally a big issue in many an election who should be responsible for providing health care the state or for profit corporations aljazeera show the reports now from the United States on how the Health Insurance industry is failing patients. When virgil clark was diagnosed with cancer she felt confident that their Health Insurance would cover her medical expenses how many years there had been paying in the to their Insurance Plan their oh my god like. And he is i guess maybe she wasnt fully covered by Health Insurance paid for most of her treatments but there remained a few 1000. 00 that she was expected to cover and that she just didnt have the hospital withheld her counsel treatment of the hippocratic oath 1st do no harm. But i dont think that applied. And then she wound up detained in a courthouse of the hospital sued and walking up there when seconds in handcuffs i didnt bring in my Pain Medicine because i didnt think i would be there all day this sort of trauma for medical bills isnt a common experience for americans in fact 2 thirds of bankruptcies a jew to medical issues in the us to find out why we travel to philadelphia to speak to Wendell Potter he was once an executive at the Health Insurance Company Cigna most people in the us pay monthly premiums to Health Insurance Companies Like cigna as a safety net in case they need medical treatment of some kind just look at these companies then determine whether they will receive and can afford that treatment in 2009 blew the whistle on the Health Insurance industry to the u. S. Congress that if the Affordable Health care act obamacare was passed it did wipe in coverage im closing loopholes Insurance Companies were using to refuse that plans health care. Yes. Im 20000000 more americans were able to get Health Insurance as a result theres still some 28000000 americans would remain uninsured here but Health Insurance is still a for profit enterprise yes you can now get insured but if you actually need treatment it will cost you just as bad if not worse is the rising number of people who are under insured these are people who are paying good money every month for their Health Insurance premiums the finding that they now have very high deductibles for their words they have to pay a lot of money out of their own pockets before their coverage kicks in for part of the fundamental principles that guide Insurance Companies havent changed to make as much money as they can to bring as much revenue and but to pay out as little as possible in claims because when that happens theyve got more money to reward shareholders and to enrich their executives i know that because i was one of them that made quite a lot of money this is just in dispute the u. S. Has the most Expensive Health care system in the world however when Health System performance is compared such as quality efficiency access to care equity and the ability to lead a long life the u. S. Is launched against other developed countries the u. S. Does rank top for one indicator that the amount it spends on administrative costs per capita and part of that money is dedicated to Insurance Companies hiring doctors and nurses as what are called medical directives but they dont treat patients they try to find ways to treat patients everyone is employed by the Insurance Company knows that they have their part to play and they can sure that that Company Needs wall street financial expectations so it doesnt have to be direct. That you will deny x. Number of things or treatments but you know that if youre going to keep your job and hopefully get a raise and a bonus. Youve got to do what the Company Expects you to do Health Insurance is expected to be a major issue in the 2020 election proposal recognizes the framing of the debate as one he and other executives would shape in the boardroom before funneling money to politicians the terms that are being used today are the same terms that i used to use and in fact in some cases helped create it is to get people to be afraid of change is a term thats an acronym thats used for this kind of Propaganda Campaign its fun and its fear uncertainty and doubt and these campaigns are designed to get people to fear change to make them feel uncertain about whats being proposed and that they would benefit from it and to doubt those who are advocating it i store they have someone there because i know theres someone out there who have been through this think even worse than i am and so that i feel like my story may make a difference for someone or it may embolden someone with a makes me get but for now its unsettling how familiar of a story is in the u. S. Armed how powerful the forces are that want to keep it. And thats our show for this week if youd like to comment on anything that youve seen you can tweet me a figure on twitter please use the hash tag a j c t c when you do or you can drop us a line counting the cost at aljazeera dot net is our email address as always theres plenty more few online at aljazeera dot com slash c. T. C. That takes you straight to a page a day youll find individual sports links even entire episodes for you to catch up. Thats it for this edition of counting the cost im Adrian Finighan from the whole team here in doha thanks for being with us the news on aljazeera is next. The pollution is palpable. Delis shares the symptoms of many modern metropolis but its unique features have been gotten a crisis. People in power investigates the toxic mix feeding the citys invisible killer and asks why more is not being done to relieve its citizens the least deadly air on the jersey of. 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