An SOS For Planet Earth

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[<p>With Rio +20 — the UN Conference on Sustainable Development — due in June, the world is abuzz with talks of energy and resource security and protecting environment while ensuring economic development. <em>BW</em>'s <strong>Yashodhara Dasgupta</strong> spoke to international leaders gathered at the 12th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit organised by research organisation Teri to know their concerns, actions and views on sustainable development. Here is what they shared. Also, an interview with economist Jeremy Rifkin, who was here for a brief visit prior to the Teri summit, and a column by Bjorn Stigson, former president of World Business Council for Sustainable Development.<br><br><a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Mike-Rann.html" target="_blank"><strong>1. MIKE RANN, Former Premier of the state of South Australia</strong></a><br>The scepticism towards sustainable development comes down to complete ignorance. People have managed to con many politicians that if you take action on climate change it is bad for jobs. South Australia, the driest state in the driest continent, has shown you can have the strongest growth ever, have a drop in emissions and embrace clean industries. We have to stop listening to myth-makers and start listening to the truth.<br><br><a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Annika-Markovic.html" target="_blank"><strong>2. ANNIKA MARKOVIC, Environment ambassador, ministry of environment, Sweden</strong></a><br> We have a roadmap for 2050 where we will be free of CO2 emissions. We will also get rid of our dependency on fossil fuels. We are working hard with investments in the renewable energy sector... We believe sustainable development goals are a possible way forward where we can come together on a global initiative to pin point where we should go in important sectors like energy, food security, water etc. Sustainable cities are another important concept we take great interest in.<br><br><a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Connie-Hedegaard.html" target="_blank"><strong>3. CONNIE HEDEGAARD, Commissioner for climate action at the European Commission</strong></a><br>We are at a stage where we still have a choice. We can choose a much smarter, sustainable future. If we do it now, we can still keep our lives, our possibilities, our options, our mobility and the creative life many of us want to have. If we postpone action and wait for the consequences to grow even more enormous, we will find ourselves in a much worse situation. And it is also much more cost efficient if we start to act right now. <br><br><a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Gro-Harlem-Brundtland.html" target="_blank"><strong>4. GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND, Former Prime Minister of Norway and member of UN secretary general's global sustainability panel</strong></a><br>The idea that you can continue doing business as usual is flawed. Science shows this is not possible. We need to have renewable energy and not to continue warming the world... there are many solutions out there. It's not impossible to increase energy-use globally. We need to get more energy efficiency, more renewable in such a way that competition of enemies becomes difficult.<strong></strong><br><br>break-page-break<br><a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Ghulam-Mohd-Malikyar.html" target="_blank"><strong>5. GHULAM MOHD MALIKYAR, Deputy director general of the National Environment Protection Agency in Afghanistan</strong></a><br>We are a land-locked country. We have very low vegetation and forest cover. In the past 30 years, we have lost a significant portion of that cover. These challenges could affect Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries. It is difficult to restore all that within a few years. But there is hard work going on in several sectors to <br>restore it.<br><br><strong><img src="/businessworld/system/files/images/Feb_12/teri_members1_lg.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" height="144" width="600"><br></strong><br> <a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Tewolde-Berhan-Gebre-Egzabiher.html" target="_blank"><strong>6. TEWOLDE BERHAN GEBRE EGZIABHER, Director general of Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority</strong></a><br> Small hold farmers cannot deal with climate change by themselves. Now that they are allowed to organise, local communities take decisions and implement it themselves. Land degradation is now reducing very fast in Ethiopia.<br><strong><br><a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Malik-Amin-Aslam.html" target="_blank">7. MALIK AMIN ASLAM, Senior member of climate core advisory group to the government of Pakistan</a></strong><br>For us, the most urgent agenda is climate change and how to adapt to the problems. In the past two years, we have been hit by serious climate impacts. We are one of the high climate-risk countries. We have had 3-5 per cent of our GDP being washed away by climate change impacts. So, it is on the top of our agenda.<br><br> <a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Henri-Djombo.html" target="_blank"><strong>8. HENRI DJOMBO, Minister of sustainable development, forestry and environment, Republic of the Congo</strong></a><br> We lack electricity hugely. Hopefully, the hydropower plant we built with China will help us here. We are also using natural gas to create power. We will be able to use forest biomass to make it... Our public are not well-informed of sustainable development, but due to global and local efforts, they have an idea now.<br><br> <a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Mohamed-Aslam.html" target="_blank"><strong>9. MOHAMED ASLAM, Minister of housing and environment, The Maldives</strong></a><br> We focus very much on energy production and renewable energy. Fortunately, we have been able to provide reliable electricity for all our communities. But all of that is from fossil fuels. We want to convert that to renewable. Because it will contribute to global efforts and it has an economic sense for us. We spend about 35-45 cents to 1kwh power by burning fossil fuel. We can produce electricity at about 25 cents per 1 kw per hour by using solar power.<br><br><a href="http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Maria-Mutagamba.html" target="_blank"><strong>10. MARIA MUTAGAMBA, Minister for water and environment in Uganda</strong></a><br>It is a bit difficult to control industries. The majority go to wetlands thinking it is wasteland. Stakeholders such as the civil society and government try to make sure that industries appreciate these efforts so that we can utilise the space available for industries without jeopardising the ecosystem.<br><br>(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 20-02-2012)</p>