Memo to Obama

Help develop local responses to food and energy crises

…My recommendation to the next U.S. president, therefore, is based on the need to develop such a local response to the twin problems of energy and food. The sharp fluctuations in the price of oil in the past 12 months has severely affected developing economies such as ours, with annual per capita incomes of less than $6,000. Collectively, these economies


Finding a way to pay this extra money is only part of the problem. With our already high energy costs, we have found it difficult to adjust our economies to cope with our other pressing needs. The price increases have affected our entire production apparatus. The sectors which have been most affected are electricity generation, transportation and food production.

As our petroleum bills drain our cash reserves