A GLOBE-Net Editorial
GLOBE-Net, June 6, 2012 - Events and
celebrations took place around the world yesterday (June
5th) to mark the 29th World Environment Day. This year's
event was particularly significant as it took place virtually on
the eve of Rio+20, a reconvening of the United Nation's Earth
Summit launched twenty years ago in Rio de Janeiro, which is
scheduled to open in two weeks time.
Today the United Nations Environment Programme released the
fifth edition of the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5). Its
conclusion - "The world continues to speed down an unsustainable
path despite over 500 internationally agreed goals and objectives
to support the sustainable management of the environment and
improve human wellbeing..."
It assessed 90 of the most-important environmental goals and
objectives and found that significant progress had only been made
in four.
This is hardly an encouraging starting point for the discussions
that will take place in a few days involving leaders from over 130
nations, particularly in the wake of a series of preparatory
meetings of government leaders and officials over the past two
years that have yet to produce a viable agreement on how to manage
carbon emissions in the post-Kyoto period.
And yet progress has been made and continues to be made by many
globally responsible companies. Some may even argue that there is a
disconnect between the progress of corporations and that of
governments.
With the Rio+20 preparatory meetings seemingly bogged down in
rhetoric and/or minutiae, one wonders if part of the problem is
seeking the perfect global solution rather than focusing on bite
sized chunks that can be agreed and acted on, particularly actions
where governments could share the responsibility with the private
sector.
The overall bottom line on the environment is that the pressures
on the natural environment are greater today than ever before and
the need for responsible environmental management in both business
and government is even more important now than twenty years ago
when the first Rio Summit took place.
The need for business and government to work together on
practical and 'do-able' measures to protect the environment and to
promote responsible sustainable development has been the guiding
principle behind everything that GLOBE has undertaken - even before
the first Rio event.
Every GLOBE event over the past two decades has brought
government policy makers, academic researchers, technology
developers and business leaders from around the world together in
an atmosphere of free and open dialogue on the most critical issues
facing the business of the environment.
It has been a winning formula.
So too, our more recent research on the economic benefits
associated with greening of the economy has strengthened our
resolve to move more forcibly in our efforts to achieve what UN
Secretary Ban Ki-moon has called for - "a change in thinking and
approach to ensure the sustainability of the Earth's resources as
the world population grows."
So despite the very gloomy observations of the latest Global
Environmental Outlook and the many doubts about what might be
accomplished in the next few days at Rio+20, my fervent wish is
that the dialogue continue and that in time an agreement will
emerge on practical measures to hasten the transition toward a
Greener Global Economy.
Our future depends on it.
John D. Wiebe
President and CEO