Malaysian conference gets to the heart of sustainability

[Guest guest]

http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-05/s_12788.asp

 

Malaysian conference gets to the heart of

sustainability

 

Thursday, February 05, 2004

By David Suzuki

 

Hear the term " convention on biological diversity, "

and one might tend to think of biologists gathered

over a buffet of rubber chicken to discuss the mating

habits of snails. But the meeting of the Convention on

Biological Diversity, which begins next week in Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia, is actually more about people than

other animals.

 

Does biological diversity or " biodiversity " matter to

the lives of ordinary people? You bet, primarily

because we all benefit greatly from the diversity of

life on Earth that provides the natural services we

need for our health and well being. Those services

include things like cleaning our air and water,

maintaining fertile soils, and stabilizing our

climate.

 

Right now, human activities are degrading these

natural systems and destroying biological diversity.

Pollution, habitat destruction, global warming, and

other human-induced problems are pushing many species

and services to their limits. As we degrade these

services, we create a less healthy world for humans as

well as other animals. To leave a healthy planet for

coming generations, we desperately need to develop

sustainable practices that don't damage the ecosystems

on which we depend. In other words, we need to learn

to live within our means.

 

So how do we do that? Well, that's exactly what the

conference in Kuala Lumpur is all about: looking at

ways to meet the Convention's goal of significantly

reducing the current rate of biodiversity loss by

2010. Part of the answer no doubt will be found in the

United Nations–sponsored Millennium Ecosystem

Assessment, the most extensive interdisciplinary study

ever conducted on the linkages between the world's

ecosystems and human well-being. Major reports from

the Assessment are being peer reviewed this year.

 

But no matter how good the Assessment is, it will only

be truly successful if world leaders actually use it

to develop sustainable energy, agricultural,

industrial, forestry, and fisheries practices. Right

now, getting action on these issues will be a very

challenging task.

 

The world has changed significantly since 187

countries signed the Convention at the 1992 Rio Earth

Summit — especially after September 11, 2001. Today,

many nations are focused almost entirely on their

economies and " national security. " For key players on

the world stage, like the United States, this focus is

extremely narrow. President Bush's version of national

security largely involves more border guards and more

military hardware, not to mention fewer civil

liberties.

 

This law-and-order approach will do little to solve

root causes of the international instability that

breed terrorism. Developing sustainable societies, on

the other hand, would help curb resource depletion,

reduce inequities between rich and poor countries, and

reduce the developed world's dependence on foreign

oil. All of this will go a long way toward making the

world more secure. Just ask Sir David King, Britain's

chief scientific adviser. He recently warned that

global warming presents a more serious threat to

society than terrorism.

 

The fact is, degradation of our environment costs us

dearly. According to the Canadian Institute of Child

Health, exposure to toxic substances in the

environment has likely contributed to a 25 percent

increase in childhood cancer over the past 25 years.

Meanwhile, air pollution causes from 5,000 to 16,000

premature deaths in Canada every year and costs

billions in health care and lost work days.

 

More than 2,000 international delegates will attend

the upcoming conference in Kuala Lumpur. But if we

want it to work, we've got to get our government and

business leaders to start building clean, modern,

sustainable economies. We can't just describe the

problem; we've got to get our leaders to act.

 

Take the Nature Challenge and learn more at

www.davidsuzuki.org

 

Source: David Suzuki Foundation

 

 

 

 

 

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