ECOTOPIC - Environment and Development

The Clash between North and South
Development seems to contradict the protection of the environment at first glance. Whenever environmental work faces strong opposition, it is based on the argumentation, that economic development is hindered through it. Also the international environmental debate starting in Stockholm in 1972 at the UN Conference on the Human Environment revealed an interest clash between North and South. While the industrialized northern countries were concerned about the increasingly global environmental problems, their main goal was to persuade the South not to follow their track of pollution-laden development, which would overstress the earth’s carrying capacity. (Just imagine, what would happen, if every Chinese or Indian had a car!)
The South however – representing countries with low economic development, low pollution rates but high natural capital – did not want to be the scapegoat of the polluting North. Their main priority was - and still is - economic development; if necessary, on the costs of the environment. This clash is still present today, no matter if you look at the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation or agreements like the Kyoto Protocol.

From a time to negotiate to a time to act
Despite these two different positions in the environment – development debate it is time to act: from both the environment but also the development perspective. Currently there are more than 1.2 billion people who live on less than 1 US$ per day. Many of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa, the only part of the globe, which showed a negative economic trend in the past decades. War, famines, corruption and refugees are the images of Africa, which reach us through the European media or via big events such as LiveAid. These facts outline the necessity for economic development for poor people. Such development needs however a sustainable and sensitive approach. The reason is simple: most poor people depend on natural resources directly through agriculture, hunting, gathering or simply for their water supply.

The poor – standing on a green fundament
According to the policy paper of the European Youth Forum more people are today being displaced due to environmental disasters (both natural and man-made) than by war.
Especially droughts and floods often displace people from their home region, jeopardizing their basic life support systems and therefore increasing poverty. It is expected that climate change will further intensify such natural disasters.
By destroying natural resources for economic development you simply cut the ground from under the poor peoples feet! An example is the OCP oil pipeline currently build through Ecuador. While the economic benefit of the project goes to a few investors, the majority of people suffer, as their drinking water is polluted and their forests are destroyed. So instead of bringing prosperity, such development can increase poverty.

The EU as two-faced actor
Besides the EU commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goals to eradicate poverty and to foster sustainable development, they have a somehow contradictory policy. In their common agriculture policy the EU finances export subsidies for the products of its member states, so that the resulting overproduction and price-dumping destroys local markets in developing countries.
Also the increasing number of refugees coming to Europe in coffin ships over the Atlantic is partly stimulated through EU´s policy. Since the Union is the major actor in overfishing the West Atlantic coastal waters offshore Africa, local fishermen cannot compete and are driven into poverty.

What can you do?
Only if the EU manages to change its absurd agricultural and fishery policies, it can slow down the crowd of refugees trying to enter the fortress Europe. This is something worth lobbying for at your national government. As long this takes, you should also support developing countries by buying fair trade and green products.

Links:

Info about the Millennium Development Goals:
http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/goals/index.htm

Sustainability paper of the European Youth Forum: http://www.youthforum.org/en/press/reports/COMEM06Italy/0182-06FINAL.pdf

ID 21 Development research:
http://www.id21.org/society/index.html

Info about the environmental and development effects of the OCP Pipeline:
http://www.amazonwatch.org/amazon/EC/ocp/