Protecting our Common Global Resources

Natural resources provide the basics of human existence: clean air, predictable climate, water, food, and biological diversity. The unfair allocation and distribution of these resources is leading to increased tensions and emerging conflicts. Wars for resources such as oil or water are a severe threat to security and stability that will eventually touch all regions of the world. Our cultural heritage, another vital resource holding the potential for creation, innovation, and social expression, is also under stress.

Join the discussion in the Protecting Our Common Global Resources forum.

Climate change

Tackling the causes of climate change is a matter of survival as well as global justice. The reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007), the Stern Review (2006) and many other recent studies have provided convincing evidence of the reality of climate change and also of its economic costs, which could reach 20% of annual global GDP in the coming years. People living in the world's poorest countries are the least prepared to deal with its consequences because they rely heavily on natural resources. Furthermore, though these populations have made the least contribution to our climate problem, they are the most affected by climate change, notably changing weather patterns, flooding, droughts, deforestation, desertification, and rising sea levels.

Due to the inertia of the Earth's climate system, climate change can no longer be prevented entirely. However, it is still possible to stabilize the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and thus prevent the most severe changes so that ecosystems are able to adapt naturally to climate change, food production is not threatened, and economic development can proceed in a sustainable manner. In order to avert dangerous climatic changes, global warming should not exceed a maximum deviation of 2°C relative to pre-industrial values and Earth's long-term mean warming rate should not exceed 0.2°C per decade. This requires the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere to stabilize below 450 ppm. That will only be possible if, by 2050, global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by at least 50% from 1990 levels with industrialized countries decreasing their greenhouse gas emissions at least 30% by 2020.

Such aims must be reached through an equitable global climate regime that continues the efforts of the Kyoto Protocol under the umbrella of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Foreseeable at the heart of this regime is a cap-and-trade philosophy, which implies a concept of global climate justice termed 'contraction and convergence.' The idea is to put a cap on total global emissions and continually reduce the global cap over the years (until 2050, for example) until the cap level is reduced to a targeted sustainable threshold.

This means that global greenhouse gas emissions, from industrial production and consumption to land, sea and air traffic would decrease substantially over the long term (contraction). Emission allocation would start from the status quo and gradually reach an equal per-capita basis (convergence). In practical terms, the per-capita emissions of industrialized countries, which are comparatively much higher at present, will be decreased significantly, while most developing countries may initially increase their per-capita emissions.

A substantial fund for the compensation of climate damage should be set up from 2012 onwards. Contributions of individual states to this fund should be based on their relative contributions to global warming in terms of cumulative emissions. The conservation of natural carbon stocks and sinks situated in developing countries (particularly tropical forests) should also be compensated by richer countries through financial assistance and subsidies. This was a possibility recently discussed by Ecuador, Indonesia and other developing nations with rainforests.

Join the discussion in the Climate Change forum.

Energy security

It is essential to turn energy systems toward sustainability worldwide, both in order to protect the natural life-support systems on which humanity depends, and to eradicate energy poverty in developing countries where the energy supply of 2.4 billion people depends largely, or entirely, upon the use of conventional biomass (firewood, charcoal or dung). Additionally, a global reconfiguration of energy systems would promote peace by reducing dependency upon regionally concentrated oil reserves.

It is clear that the energy base of global civilization must be transformed and our dependency on fossil fuels reduced. Significant technological innovation is vital for progress in this direction, along with increased energy efficiency and massive support for renewable energies. Promotion of bio-fuels must, however, be balanced with other, namely, competing uses of fertile soils, such as agricultural use for local food supply and protection of other environmental goods, e.g. bio-diversity. The long-term objective is to initiate a solar age and to ensure access to sufficient and affordable energy for all.

This transformation is technically and financially feasible. As Sir Nicholas Stern and others have determined, the cost of inaction will be much higher over the long term than the cost of initiating this transformation now. Industrialized countries have the responsibility to introduce this transformation themselves by setting targets for renewable energies and reduced energy intensity.

In developing countries, existing programs toward an alternative energy revolution must be intensified through such sources as Global Environmental Facility (GEF), Official Development Assistance (ODA), the World Bank, and regional development bank loans. Incentives for private-sector investors in the field should be enhanced through public-private partnerships. Programs should focus on capacity and institution building in developing countries and on intensifying a technology transfer. They should also contribute to the realization of pilot projects that introduce renewable energies on a large scale and thus build strategic leverage for a global energy revolution. To ensure additional financial resources for these programs, innovative financing avenues, such as user charges for the global commons, should also be pursued.

Join the discussion in the Energy Security forum.

Water

Water is essential to life. The right to water should be amended to the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as an indispensable part of the right to food.

Improving the access to drinking water and proper sanitation must be an essential goal of development efforts. The price of water should on the one hand reflect the fact that water is a basic human need, and on the other hand provide incentives to prevent its wastage through a progressive price curve. Prices covering the full costs of water may not be affordable for large parts of the population, particularly in poor countries.

To the fullest extent possible, control over water-systems should stay within their respective communities and authorities. Water is not a tradable good like many others. The pros and cons of water services privatization have to be considered thoroughly, since it touches an especially sensitive area. Privatization must guarantee access to safe drinking water at all times for all people, the poor and homeless in particular. Planning for water services should be participative and grassroots in scope to incorporate planners, decision-makers, economic interests, and water users. Women especially should be included as they are primarily responsible for the family and community water supply in many regions of the world.

Join the discussion in the Water forum.

Food security / Right to food

The right to food, as established in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, should be further specified and developed. The reduction of export subsidies for agricultural products from industrialized countries is a precondition for the integration of developing countries into international trade in agriculture. However, it must be recognized that efficient regional production and marketing of agricultural goods in all regions of the world is essential for food security, while also keeping in mind the needs of less fortunate populations.

Better market access should therefore not lead to a lopsided concentration on the export of agricultural goods from poor countries. Developing nations must not focus solely on agricultural exports while ignoring food production for their domestic population; nor should rich countries rely on agricultural imports at the expense of their own agricultural production. Marketing and food production strategies should be developed in partnership with all parties concerned.

The world's food aid distribution networks must improve their early-warning systems in order to react in time to food emergencies. World food relief should rely on food grown and stored in or near the impoverished areas in need as to avoid contributing to a further distortion of agricultural markets by importing food from rich donor countries.

In this regard, greater attention should be given to the role that regional economies may play in the production and distribution of food, including the delivery of regionally grown food across borders to where it is most needed. Democratic agricultural and land reforms may substantially contribute to food security in many developing countries. International research on agriculture must be strengthened and should include traditional wisdom, gender issues, participative research, and the use of renewable energies. Organic farming should also be encouraged.

Join the discussion in the Food Security forum.

Biological diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity aims at the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity, and the sharing of benefits arising from commercial and other uses of genetic resources fairly and equitably. The convention on forests and the establishment of worldwide forest protection should be enhanced with an additional protocol that secures more funds through the Convention on Biological Diversity financial mechanisms, while at the same time emphasizing the informational and knowledge dimension of the problem. Equally important for governments, businesses, and civil society is the issue of genetically modified organisms.

Hidden and open incentives for economic activities that result in a loss of biological diversity must be eliminated, particularly those involving global production and supply chains. Protection of biological diversity must take into account the differences between developed and developing nations. For that reason, financial support for the Convention on Biological Diversity and for the Global Environment Facility, which helps countries implement the convention, should be considerably extended.

Join the discussion in the Biological Diversity forum.

Cultural diversity

Cultural difference and permanent variation is a common heritage of humanity. The 2001 UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, signed by 185 states, asserts that cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature. It provides the capacity for human expression, creation and innovation. Being able to express oneself, to read, and to write are basic elements that enable individuals to advance their cultures freely, engage in social action and formulate public opinion.

In order to protect and enhance cultural diversity, segregation and fundamentalism must be confronted in all countries and at all levels wherever it appears. Giving support to expression, creation and dissemination in the greatest possible number of languages will help to safeguard the linguistic heritage of humanity. This knowledge must be safeguarded as a common resource and not subjected to overly strict intellectual property rights.

The digital divide, depriving a majority of the world population the use of information and communication technologies, can be countered, for example, through the promotion of linguistic diversity in cyberspace and the provision of telecommunications infrastructure for universal access. Public radio and television services must also be supported in order to guarantee audiovisual productions of good quality that represent cultural diversity and are accessible at reasonable costs.

Finally, the development of an international legal instrument on cultural diversity should be discussed on a global level.

Join the discussion in the Cultural Diversity forum.

Economy >>