Healthy environment versus healthy people

Is it possible to eliminate poverty, without doing irreparable harm to the world's environment? That's the challenge in front of the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg this month, a follow-up to the groundbreaking Rio Earth Summit in 1992.

The Earth's population has more than doubled since 1950, from 2.5 billion to 6 billion in 2000. In industrialised countries, people are living longer and consume more than ever before. According to a report commissioned for the Johannesburg summit, 15 percent of the world's population account for 56 percent of the world's total consumption.

Meanwhile in low-income countries, the poorest 40 percent consume only 11 percent of resources used, and the average African household actually consumes 20 percent less than it did 25 years ago. Clearly, if all six billion of us consumed at the same rate as the 15 percent in industrialised countries, the environment would suffer severely.

So the dilemma is this: How can the poorest people be lifted out of poverty, without placing an unbearable strain on the Earth's resources?

sustainable development

According to the 1992 Earth Summit, the solution is sustainable development, and it requires commitment from both industrialised and developing nations. Sustainable development has been defined as, "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." But it's a concept that's easier to talk about than to achieve.

The Rio summit produced a comprehensive agenda for action ("Agenda 21"), but its implementation has been poor. At Johannesburg, organisers hope to revive commitment to the agenda and achieve a new political will to tackle the challenges of the new millennium. But whereas the priority of Rio was on environmental protection, the focus of Johannesburg is expected to be on poverty reduction.

More specifically, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for the summit to achieve progress in five main areas: water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity. The outcomes of the Johannesburg conference are likely to focus on these areas and will probably also be linked to the Millennium Development Goals.

what is new zealand's role

A recent report by New Zealand's independent environment 'watchdog', the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has heavily criticised New Zealand's lack of action since the Rio Summit. New Zealand is in a strong position to be a world leader in sustainable development, but has so far failed to take up that opportunity.

New Zealand has prioritised economic growth over the environment, the report says, and needs to shift its thinking toward 'development' rather than growth at any cost: economic growth only recognises a limited sphere of activity and is not representative of a healthy environment and society.

New Zealand's Minister for the Environment, Marian Hobbs and Prime Minister Helen Clark will both attend the conference. New Zealand's focus is likely to be on our own environment, rather than global issues and stepping up New Zealand's efforts at tackling poverty in developing nations.

have your say

• Write a brief note to Helen Clark or Marian Hobbs. Tell them what you think New Zealand's contribution to the Johannesburg conference should be. What do you hope the Conference can achieve? What are your priorities?
• The Government also plans to put together a Sustainable Development Strategy after the Conference, and release it for public comment. Keep an eye out for this later in the year in the media and on the "Currently Consulting" section of the Government web site.

more information - general

Johannesburg Summit Homepage

Johannesburg Summit Fact Sheets

EU goals for the Summit

LEAD: an independent site about the Johannesburg Conference

more information - new zealand

Creating our future: Sustainable development for New Zealand
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment's Report

Political comment on the Report: Labour, Greens, ACT

NZ Herald article