Calling again on the spirit of Rio
The world has changed enormously since 1992, when the leaders of world agreed to the blueprint for creating a sustainable way of life in the 21st Century - Agenda 21. It is a fact that many of the problems the world is currently facing have been on the international agenda since the Stockholm environmental conference in 1972. These problems have now become acute due to lack of action from the governments in implementation of their widely proclaimed commitments made during the many conventions, in treaties and declaration. The developed countries have done very little in helping the financially weak and developing countries in their movement towards environmental sustainability. This has also undermined developing countries’ own ability to make commitments and fulfill them.
UN Copenhagen Climate Summit in December 2009 was disappointing and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Doha, Qatar, from 13-25 March 2010 did not bring out much result. The solution to world's environmental problems through multilateral negotiations now depends on the success of Earth Summit 2012 to be held in Rio de Janeiro for a second time.
There are many serious challenges to tackle, a few of them are:
- Climatic changes: Climatic changes are becoming the out-of-control drivers of world’s economic and environmental crises. Natural calamities due to changing climate are now devastating the resources, and claiming more lives than ever before.
- Economic stability: The consumption based economics is threatening the economic stability of nations.
- Earth’s carrying capacity: Societies are living beyond the carrying capacity of the planet. Consumerism has made the poor poorer and put load on the limited resources of the earth besides increasing pollution.
- Implementation of agreements, treaties and declaration: The UN is not having enough resources and powers to monitor the implementation of environmental sustainability measures and enforce the international agreements arrived at conventions, in treaties and declarations. Governments of nations should provide more powers, resources and build the capacity of UN.
- Security vs environment: The security of life on earth is all the more threatened as the environmental changes are becoming devastating. The rate with which the species of fauna and flora are becoming extinct has increased over the years.
- Human Activity: Human activities that are causing pollution, deforestation, nuclear hazards, destroying the fauna, etc. must be checked and forestation, treatment of effluents before release in air or water must be promoted.
- Industrialization: Blind industrialization for social and economic growth should be checked. Green industrialization should be promoted. Technology should be utilized for sustainable development and should be made available by one nation to another, free of cost.
- Poverty elevation: One of the major challenges is poverty elevation without harming the environment. This may be achieved if the developed nations reduce their over consumption of natural resources and help the poor and developing nations in sustainable development.
Addressing the above would require a creative and ambitious agenda; and also a movement throughout the world to get it not only discussed and passed but also implemented.
The Earth Summit 2012 is a platform for the nations of the world to negotiate and resolve to co-operate for achieving a new deal which will help the present and future generations to live on earth. Let us call again on the spirit of Rio de Janeiro to provide a new impetus and revive the international co-operation which is very much necessary for environment and sustainable development solutions to problems related to poverty elevation and the global financial crisis.
Hemant Kumar Dubey
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