Category Archives: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Elders urge world leaders to take bold and decisive action on climate in 2015

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

A press release from The Elders

Ahead of the UN Sustainable Development Goals summit, The Elders call on world leaders to agree on a common approach that yields a “radical and sustainable” plan to tackle climate change.

elders

In a letter to heads of state and government attending the launch of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals in New York on 26 September, The Elders told leaders:

“2015 is the year in which the community of nations will conclude two of the most important international processes of our times […] You have a decisive role to play in charting the course of history.”

The Sustainable Development Goals are the successors to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals which ran from 2000 to 2015. The COP 21 summit in Paris in December is seen by scientists as the last opportunity to commit to meaningful action to prevent a future climate catastrophe.

The Elders warned:

“If action is not taken immediately to stop and reverse current climate trends, we shall face a world with average global temperatures several degrees higher than when we were children.”
Specifically, they urged leaders attending the launch of the SDGs to:

– Inject a new sense of urgency into the Paris negotiations to secure an international binding agreement that would limit the increase in average global temperature to less than two degrees Celsius;

Establish a goal for all nations to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and agree a timetable to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, with early action on coal;

– Commit to mechanisms within the Paris agreement that can assess progress and ratchet up the commitment of all signatories on climate mitigation and adaptation efforts every five years;

– Approve a financial package that increases investment in clean energy and supports climate adaptation by poor countries.

Even at this late stage, The Elders believe that transformative leadership can yield radical and sustainable results, telling heads of state and government:

“You can prove to be an historic generation of leaders who will have a profound and positive impact that echoes throughout the century […] the courage and conviction you show will be remembered for decades to come.”

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

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USA: These Former Debt Collectors Decided to Ditch the Industry, Buy Up Medical Debt, and Forgive It

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An article from Araz Hachadourian, Yes! Magazine (reprinted according to terms of Creative Commons)

When Paola Gonzalez received a phone call from RIP Medical Debt, she was certain what she heard was a mistake. A prank, maybe. The caller said a $950 hospital bill had been paid for in full: It would not affect her credit and she wouldn’t have to worry about it again. “They wanted to pay a bill for me,” she said. “I was just speechless.”

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The 24-year-old student from Roselle Park, New Jersey, has lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that in 2011 put her in and out of hospitals for a year. Even with insurance she faces a barrage of medical bills that often get pushed aside. “I can’t always work,” Gonzalez said. “I’ll be fine today and sick tomorrow. It’s really amazing that people would help out like this.”

Gonzalez is one of many people who have had a debt paid by RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit founded by two former debt collectors, Jerry Ashton and Craig Antico, that buys debt on the open market and then abolishes it, no strings attached. In the year since RIP Medical Debt started, the group has abolished just under $400,000, according to Antico. On July 4, it launched a year-long campaign to raise $177,600 in donations, which it will use to abolish $17.6 million of other people’s debt.

Millions of people are, in Ashton’s words, “sitting at the kitchen table and you have to decide, ‘Do I buy medication today or do I pay the water bill or do I pay the debt collector?’… We decided we should take the debt collector out of the equation.”

It works like this: typical collection agencies will buy debts from private practices, hospitals, and other collection agencies that don’t find it worthwhile to pursue the debt themselves. The buyers often get a steal, buying a debt for pennies on the dollar while charging the debtor the full amount, plus additional fees.

According to a 2013 report from the Federal Trade Commission, from 2006-2009 the nine biggest debt collection companies purchased about $143 billion of consumer debt for less than $6.5 billion; 17 percent of it was medical.

Antico and Ashton are plugged into the same marketplace. They say that with the money they raise, they buy the debt for around one percent of the amount it’s worth (when debtors settle directly with collection agencies, they pay an average of 60 percent of the loan.) Then, they forgive it.

Some debt-sellers find the cash in hand more valuable. Some doctors want the debt forgiven to help maintain a relationship with their patients.

Ashton worked in the debt collections business for more than 30 years. As he learned about its tactics, he was moved to start his own consulting firm with the goal of keeping people out of collections. He said the industry treated debts as “commodities” and sold them for a profit while the debtor struggled to pay off the full amount. “That I find to be unconscionable,” says Ashton.

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Question for this article:

Helping the poorest of the poor help themselves, if millions took it up, could it be the foundation of a just world?

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He was inspired to rethink debt by the Occupy Wall Street movement and its offshoot, Strike Debt, which started the Rolling Jubilee, a program that began buying debt and abolishing it in October 2012.

Medical debt contributed to almost 60 percent of the bankruptcies in the United States in 2013. So when Rolling Jubilee shifted its focus to student loans, Ashton and Antico decided to pick up the torch.

“You don’t wake up one morning and decide to have a $150,000 mastectomy,” says Ashton. “This is not elective debt.”

For people with chronic illness, like Gonzalez, or those who require extended care, the prospect of a growing pile of debts that cannot be paid is simply frightening. For many, it leads to neglect of care they need: an estimated 25 million adults will not take medicine as prescribed because they cannot afford it; others will avoid the doctor altogether.

This is why RIP Medical debt sees the outstanding bills not just as unpaid, but ultimately unpayable. When buying debts, Ashton and Antico seek out patients whose payments create an immense burden—patients who either earn twice below the national poverty level or whose payments would require five percent or more of their income. They work with the hospitals and medical practices when purchasing debt portfolios to identify debtors who need aid the most.

Many of the people who need aid are not properly identified when they go through a hospital registration process. According to Antico, typically 5-10 percent of all hospital cases are uncompensated. When those who cannot pay are billed, those bills often turn into unpaid debts. “This is a systemic issue. It’s not their fault they got sick and incurred debt,” says Antico. “You can’t imagine how bad they feel and they shouldn’t have to.”

Crowd-funding for debt relief is becoming an increasingly popular trend. Back in 2002, a church in Virginia got together to eliminate its members credit card debts. Rolling Jubilee has abolished nearly $32 million in loans since it began. A UK man even tried to crowd-fund a bailout for Greece, raising almost €2 million from strangers by pointing out that Greece’s €1.6 billion debt simmers down to €3 from every European.

RIP Medical Debt has been criticized by some within the debt abolition movement for structuring itself as a nonprofit organization that pays for work (though Ashton and Antico work as volunteers, they pay outside contractors for things like website maintenance and design); whereas the above efforts and the original Rolling Jubilee focused entirely on grassroots organization and mutual aid.

Still, Ashton and Antico see potential for the project as an opportunity people to help their community. “I think everybody giving to everybody is how we should approach this,” Antico says.

As for Gonzalez, while she is excited and grateful for the bill that was paid, her ongoing condition means she still has a lot of debt to get through. Right now she’s focused on avoiding bankruptcy and managing the bill from her primary doctor while the others are pushed to the side. “I just hope that eventually I’ll be able to pay it off,” she said. “This is the first time I’ve been healthy for a couple months straight so I hope that it stays that way.”

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

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UN: Consensus Reached on New Sustainable Development Agenda to be adopted by World Leaders in September

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An article by the United Nations Development Program

The 193 Member States of the United Nations reached agreement today [August 2 ]on the outcome document that will constitute the new sustainable development agenda that will be adopted this September by world leaders at the Sustainable Development Summit in New York.

UNDP

Concluding a negotiating process that has spanned more than two years and has featured the unprecedented participation of civil society, countries agreed to an ambitious agenda that features 17 new sustainable development goals that aim to end poverty, promote prosperity and people’s well-being while protecting the environment by 2030.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the agreement, saying it “encompasses a universal, transformative and integrated agenda that heralds an historic turning point for our world.”

“This is the People’s Agenda, a plan of action for ending poverty in all its dimensions, irreversibly, everywhere, and leaving no one behind. It seeks to ensure peace and prosperity, and forge partnerships with people and planet at the core. The integrated, interlinked and indivisible 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the people’s goals and demonstrate the scale, universality and ambition of this new Agenda.”

Mr. Ban said the September Summit, where the new agenda will be adopted, “will chart a new era of Sustainable Development in which poverty will be eradicated, prosperity shared and the core drivers of climate change tackled.”

He added that the UN System stands ready to support the implementation of the new agenda, which builds on the successful outcome of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, and which, he said, will also contribute to achieve a meaningful agreement in the COP21 in Paris in December.
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said “This agreement marks an important milestone in putting our world on an inclusive and sustainable course. If we all work together, we have a chance of meeting citizens’ aspirations for peace, prosperity, and wellbeing, and to preserve our planet.”

More than 150 world leaders are expected to attend the Sustainable Development Summit at the UN headquarters in New York between 25 to 27 September to formally adopt the outcome document of the new sustainable agenda.

The new sustainable development agenda builds on the success of the Millennium Development Goals, which helped more than 700 million people escape poverty. The eight Millennium Development Goals, adopted in 2000, aimed at an array of issues that included slashing poverty, hunger, disease, gender inequality, and access to water and sanitation by 2015.

The new sustainable development goals, and the broader sustainablity agenda, go much further, addressing the root causes of poverty and the universal need for development that works for all people.

The preamble of the 29-page text, “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” states, “We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and secure our planet.” It continues, “We are determined to take the bold and transformative steps which are urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. As we embark on this collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind.”

Rio+20 and the intergovernmental process

At the Rio+20 Conference of 2012, Member States agreed to launch a process to develop a set of sustainable development goals, which will build upon the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals have proven that goal-setting can lift millions out of poverty, improve well-being and provide vast new opportunities for better lives. It was agreed that the new goals would be global in nature and universally applicable to all countries while taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities.

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( Click here for the French version of this article or here for the Spanish version.)

Question for this article:

Can UN agencies help eradicate poverty in the world?

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The negotiations were co-facilitated by the UN Permanent Representative of Ireland, Ambassador David Donohue, and the UN Permanent Representative of Kenya, Ambassador Macharia Kamau, over two years. The inclusive and transparent consultations by Member States, with the strong engagement of civil society and other stakeholders, have served as a basis for the conclusion of the intergovernmental negotiations on the emerging universal and people-centred agenda.

Core elements of the agreed outcome document

The outcome document highlights poverty eradication as the overarching goal of the new development agenda and has at its core the integration of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The emerging development agenda is unique in that it calls for action by all countries, poor, rich and middle-income. Member States pledge that as they embark on this collective journey, no one will be left behind. The ‘five Ps’—people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership—capture the broad scope of the agenda.

The 17 sustainable goals and 169 targets aim at tackling key systemic barriers to sustainable development such as inequality, unsustainable consumption and production patterns, inadequate infrastructure and lack of decent jobs. The environmental dimension of sustainable development is covered in the goals on oceans and marine resources and on ecosystems and biodiversity, bringing core issues into the goal and target framework.

The means of implementation outlined in the outcome document match its ambitious goals and focus on finance, technology and capacity development. In addition to a stand-alone goal on the means of implementation for the new agenda, specific means are tailored to each of the sustainable development goals.

Member States stressed that the desired transformations will require a departure from “business as usual” and that intensified international cooperation on many fronts will be required. The agenda calls for a revitalized, global partnership for sustainable development, including for multi-stakeholder partnerships. The agenda also calls for increased capacity-building and better data and statistics to measure sustainable development.

An effective follow-up and review architecture – a core element of the outcome document – will be critical to support the implementation of the new agenda. The High Level Political Forum on sustainable development, set up after the Rio+20 Conference, will serve as the apex forum for follow up and review and will thus play a central role. The General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and specialized agencies will also be engaged in reviewing progress in specific areas.

Based on the outcome document, the agenda will include a Technology Facilitation Mechanism to support the new goals, based on multi-stakeholder collaboration between Member States, civil society, business, the scientific community, and the UN system of agencies. The Mechanism, which was agreed at the Addis Conference in July, will have an inter-agency task team, a forum on science, technology and innovation, and an on-line platform for collaboration.

The successful outcome of the Addis Conference gave important positive momentum to the last stretch of negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda. It is expected that the consensus reached on the outcome document will provide momentum for the negotiations on a new binding climate change treaty to culminate at the Climate Change Conference in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015.

The draft agreement can be found here.

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World unites to fight wildlife crime as UN adopts historic resolution

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An article by WWF (reprinted according to Creative Commons Attribution)

Faced with an unprecedented surge in wildlife crime, the UN today adopted a historic resolution committing all countries to ramp up their collective efforts to end the global poaching crisis and tackle the vast illegal wildlife trade. Initiated by Gabon and Germany and co-sponsored by 84 other nations, the UN General Assembly resolution, Tackling the Illicit Trafficking in Wildlife, is the result of three years of diplomatic efforts and is the first time that every nation has acknowledged the seriousness of wildlife crime and the urgent need to join forces to combat it.

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caption: © Sarah Goddard / WWF

“The UN resolution marks a new phase in the fight against wildlife crime, which is threatening countless species with extinction while jeopardizing national security and sustainable development,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International. “This landmark resolution proves that ending wildlife crime is no longer just an ‘environmental’ issue and not just limited to a few countries: it has become a priority for every nation.”

With elephant populations collapsing in Mozambique and Tanzania and record numbers of rhinos being killed in South Africa, the poaching crisis is clearly undermining global conservation efforts. But the UN resolution also spells out the broader effects of wildlife crime, which undermines good governance, the rule of law and the well-being of local communities as well as financing criminal networks and funding armed conflict.

“Just weeks before the UN meets to finalize the Sustainable Development Goals, it is significant that every country has signed up to tackle the growing threat organized wildlife crime poses to sustainable development,” said Lambertini.

Recognizing that only a comprehensive approach can curb the current crisis, all 193 UN member states agreed to enhance regional and international cooperation along the entire illegal wildlife trade chain, including measures to stop the poaching, trafficking and buying.

Along with strengthening judicial processes and law enforcement, the resolution encourages countries to actively involve local communities in the fight against the illicit trade by enhancing their rights and capacity to manage and benefit from wildlife resources.

“Nepal has already proved that this comprehensive approach works, having achieved three years of zero poaching of rhinos since 2011 thanks to a combination of high-level political will, dedicated rangers, and genuine community participation – now it is up to other countries to follow Nepal’s lead and the measures outlined in this historic resolution,” said Elisabeth McLellan, Head of the Wildlife Crime Initiative, WWF International.

Attracted by the relatively low risks and high returns, organized crime networks have muscled their way into the illegal wildlife trade, bringing with them more sophisticated poaching and trafficking methods – and greater violence and corruption.

In response, the resolution highlights the transnational and organized nature of crimes that impact the environment and stresses the need for countries to counter corruption and address money laundering linked to wildlife crime.

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Question for this article:

What is the relation between the environment and peace?

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“If countries fully implement the resolution, wildlife crime will become far riskier and far less rewarding,” said McLellan. ”The resolution’s strong reporting mechanism should ensure that real progress is made and that any critical gaps are effectively addressed.”

Starting in 2016, the UN secretary general is tasked with presenting an annual report on global wildlife crime and countries’ implementation of the resolution, together with recommendations for further action. Already lined up for debate next year is the possible appointment of a special envoy – a move that WWF believes would promote greater awareness and help hold countries to account.

“WWF has played a key role in shifting global attitudes towards wildlife crime over recent years, highlighting its impact on communities and on dwindling populations of elephants, rhinos, tigers and other species,” said Lambertini. “WWF will now focus on assisting countries in their crucial efforts to implement the resolution and help end the terrible global scourge that is wildlife crime, once and for all.”

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Mayors at Vatican: Cities play ‘very vital role’ in addressing climate, poverty

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An article by Brian Roewe , National Catholic Reporter

Mayors from around the world meeting at the Vatican this week issued a manifesto that recognized the reality of human-induced climate change and underscored the “moral imperative” for action, both in within their cities and the global community. The two-day summit was held Tuesday and Wednesday [July 21-22] and hosted by the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences. In their joint declaration issued Tuesday, 64 mayors and government officials said they came together in the context of Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si’: on Care for Our Common Home,” to discuss issues related to “two dramatic and interconnected emergencies: human-induced climate change and social exclusion in the extreme forms of radical poverty, modern slavery and human trafficking.”

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(Photo from Catholic News Service/Paul Haring)

Earlier that day, Francis emphasized to the assembly that his encyclical is not merely a “green” document, but rather “it is a social encyclical.”

“It is true that everything revolves around … this culture of care for the environment. But this ‘green’ culture — and I say that in a positive sense — is much more than that. Caring for the environment means an attitude of human ecology. In other words, we cannot say: the person and Creation, the environment, are two separate entities. Ecology is total, it is human … you cannot separate humanity from the rest; there is a relationship of mutual impact, and also the rebound effect when the environment is abused,” Francis said.

Those attending the Vatican summit presented a cross-section of the globe, with 31 countries represented: among them Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Iran, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Gabon, Italy, Jamaica, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and France — which in Paris will host the U.N. climate summit (COP 21) in December.

Ten U.S. mayors also participated, hailing from Boston, Boulder, Colo.; Birmingham, Ala., Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Portland, Ore., San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle. California Gov. Jerry Brown was also a participant.

In their declaration, the mayors, who joined the pope in signing it, said their cultural traditions each affirmed the beauty of the natural world and the “moral duty to steward rather than ravage” the planet, and committed to developing more sustainable cities that better protect their most vulnerable residents.

Among the declaration’s highlights:

“Human-induced climate change is a scientific reality, and its effective control is a moral imperative for humanity.”

“Today humanity has the technological instruments, the financial resources and the know-how to
reverse climate change while also ending extreme poverty, through the application of sustainable development solutions, including the adoption of low-carbon energy systems supported by information and communications technologies.”

“The financing of sustainable development, including the effective control of human-induced climate change, should be bolstered through new incentives for the transition towards low-carbon and renewable energy, and through the relentless pursuit of peace, which also will enable a shift of public financing from military spending to urgent investments for sustainable development.”

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Question for this article:

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

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The Paris climate talks “may be the last effective opportunity” to negotiate a global agreement to limit human-induced warming below 2 degrees Celsius, and “Political leaders of all UN member States have a special responsibility to agree at COP21 to a bold climate agreement that confines global warming to a limit safe for humanity.”

“The high-income countries should help to finance the costs of climate-change mitigation in low-income countries as the high-income countries have promised to do.

“As mayors we commit ourselves to building, in our cities and urban settlements, the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reducing their exposure to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters, which foster human trafficking and dangerous forced migration.

“At the same time, we commit ourselves to ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of modern slavery, which are crimes against humanity, including forced labor and prostitution, organ trafficking, and domestic servitude; and to developing national resettlement and reintegration programs that avoid the involuntary repatriation of trafficked persons.”

In addition to the declaration, several mayors used the Vatican summit as occasion to announce local plans of action. De Blasio said New York City has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 along its way to achieving 80 percent reductions by 2050, a goal he announced in September.

But the purpose of the gathering wasn’t to congratulate one another on their progress, he said, but “to take Laudato Si’ and give it life.”

“Our hope is that each of us — and thousands more like us all over the world — will act boldly, and in doing so, will jolt our national paradigms and the collective global paradigm,” de Blasio said.

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales told NBC News that there was excitement in his city for his Vatican trip, particularly among the young people.

“They say, ‘He’s our pope.’ He’s the ‘Portland pope,’ because his values about the environment and about social justice so closely match the young people who’ve moved to Portland … And they read this document, maybe the first encyclical they’ve ever read, and say, ‘He’s one of us,’” Hales said.

At the summit’s second day, the mayors turned their attention toward city planning that simultaneously promotes economic growth, equality and environmental protection. According to Catholic News Service, many of the mayors discussed the growing number of poor people in their cities and the increasing wealth gap.

“We live in one valley, but two worlds,” said Sam Liccardo, mayor of San Jose, Calif., which sits in the tech capital Silicon Valley, but has witnessed a growing homeless population.

CNS reported that De Blasio asked his fellow mayors why they remained committed to outdated economic growth models when that “model of development is slowly killing us.” He challenged them to create sustainable cities that address poverty while reducing pollution, even when such work becomes uncomfortable.

“By setting the high goal, we actually force ourselves day by day to take action related to it,” de Blasio said.

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ICLEI Leaders and Members to strengthen Pope Francis’ efforts on climate, modern slavery and sustainability

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An article from ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability

On 21-22 July, a delegation of more than 60 Mayors from around the world will meet Pope Francis in the Vatican for a two-day event on climate change, human trafficking and sustainable development. ICLEI has mobilized its leadership and membership to show full support to the groundbreaking work of Pope Francis on these timely issues.

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Park Won Soon, ICLEI President and Mayor of Seoul, South Korea

“The current wide-ranging crisis has brought us close to a point of no return and has the potential to nullify the social and economic progress achieved so far, thus posing a threat to the future existence of humankind,” remarked ICLEI President Won Soon Park. “We believe that the timely efforts of Pope Francis will help lead to bolder climate action and the birth of an inclusive and ambitious global climate regime”.

The ICLEI Leaders and Members attending the events in Vatican include: ICLEI President Park Wonsoon (Mayor of Seoul, participating via video message), ICLEI Vice President Miguel Angel Mancera ( Mayor of Mexico City), members of Global Executive Committee and Council namely Gustavo Petro (Mayor of Bogota), Parks Tau (Mayor of Johannesburg), Matthew Appelbaum (Mayor of Boulder), Estaella Marino (Deputy Mayor of Rome) and a number of ICLEI Members including George Ferguson (Mayor of Bristol), Anne Hidalgo (Mayor of Paris), Marcio Lacerda (Mayor of Belo Horizonte), Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City), Mayor Eduardo Paes (Mayor of Rio de Janeiro), José Fortunati (Mayor of Porto Alegre), Gustavo Fruet (Curitiba, Brazil), Jarosław Jóźwiak (Deputy-Mayor of Warsaw), Virginio Merola (Mayor of Bologna), Gregor Robertson (Mayor of Vancouver), Milan Bandić (Mayor of Zagreb), Stian Berger Rosland (Mayor of Oslo) and Karin Wanngard (Mayor of Stockholm). ICLEI Deputy Secretary General Monika Zimmermann and ICLEI Head of Policy and Advocacy Yunus Arikan will also participate in the meetings.

The meetings mark the first time that the Vatican has approached Mayors to work together and discuss how cities can help tackle the crucial issues facing humanity. From the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has taken a firm stand against modern slavery, calling all communities to reject all systematic deprivation of individual freedom for the purposes of personal and commercial exploitation. In his well-received encyclical Laudato Si, the Pope has highlighted the connection between natural and human environment, emphasizing that global warming is one of the causes of poverty and forced migration and calling for all actors to work together in shaping a sustainable future.

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Question for this article:

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

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As the world’s leading cities’ network on sustainability, ICLEI has been at the forefront of tackling issues related to climate change and sustainability in cities and regions worldwide. In both the global and local stages, ICLEI has been actively promoting and advocating for sustainable cities and regions, which are low-carbon, resilient, smart, ecomobile, biodiverse, resource-efficient and productive, and healthy and happy.

“We are happy to observe an active and committed engagement of ICLEI Leaders and Members in the Vatican on 21 and 22 July. It is no surprise to us that Pope Francis has received a strong support from local and subnational leaders worldwide whose ambitious actions could help spur a global transformation to a sustainable urban future. This spirit and gathering in the Vatican will send clear signals to the global community and citizens of the world which will hopefully help ensure tangible and ambitious outcomes in the post2015 development agenda, climate negotiations and HABITAT III processes,” said ICLEI Deputy Secretary General Monika Zimmermann.

See original article for videos, advocacy documents, social media links and program information.

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Landmark Climate Statement Signed in Ontario

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A news release from the Office of the Premier

Ontario and 22 other states and regions have signed the first-ever Pan-American action statement on climate change. The Climate Action Statement highlights the urgency of combatting climate change, affirms that state, provincial and municipal governments are leaders in achieving impactful global climate action and acknowledges the need to work together to continue reducing greenhouse gas pollution.

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Sub-jurisdictional leaders convene on stage at Ontario’s Climate Summit of the Americas. (Twitter image: @environmentont)

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne led the signing today at the Climate Summit of the Americas. The statement includes commitments to:

* Support carbon pricing;
* Ensure public reporting;
* Take action in key sectors;
* Meet existing greenhouse gas reduction agreements.

Signatories include representatives of states and regions from across the Americas, including Brazil, Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

The statement builds on recent agreements, including California’s Under 2 Memorandum of Understanding, which stresses the need for immediate action to limit global warming to 2°C, and the Compact of States and Regions, which commits partner jurisdictions to annual public reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. The statement calls for greater national action at the United Nations Conference of the Parties in Paris, and support for regional measures.

It also builds on Ontario’s actions to address climate change, which include the announcement of a cap and trade program to limit the main sources of greenhouse gas pollution, the establishment of a 2030 mid-term target for greenhouse gas pollution reduction, the closure of all coal-fired power plants and the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history, which includes the electrification of the province’s commuter rail network.

Combatting climate change is part of the government’s economic plan to build Ontario up. The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives and building a secure retirement savings plan.

Quick Facts

Combatting climate change creates new economic opportunities in renewable energy and clean technologies. Ontario’s environmental sector has 3,000 firms, employs 65,000 people, and is worth an estimated $8 billion in annual revenues and $1 billion in export earnings.

According to the Conference Board of Canada, every $100 million invested in Ontario in climate-related technologies is estimated to generate an increase of $137 million in GDP and 1,400 new jobs.

A Canada2020 poll shows that 84 per cent of Canadians believe that prosperous countries such as Canada have an obligation to show international leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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Question for this article:
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Reflection on the Climate Summit of the Americas: A new sense of empowerment & collaboration from sub-nationals across the continent

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An article by Mike Morrice, Sustainability Colab

Typically, I’m not too interested in large meetings of political leaders discussing climate change. Time and again it’s been proven that gatherings of this kind don’t produce much of an outcome, and I’m disinterested in words without action. Having been at the Climate Summit of the Americas (CSOTA) this past week though, I can say this: something has changed. A new rallying cry has emerged, amongst states and provinces across the continent. Whether from the Governor of California, the Premier of Quebec, or the Environment Minister from my home province of Ontario, the message at CSOTA was the same: subnational jurisdictions are ready to act, regardless of the political will (or lack thereof) coming from their federal governments. And they want to act together.

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Sub-jurisdictional leaders convene on stage at Ontario’s Climate Summit of the Americas. (Twitter image: @environmentont)

Seven years ago, I was deeply frustrated with the lack of international and federal action on climate change. Though I was also convinced communities across the country could show the leadership I knew was desperately needed.

The tension between the two led me to start Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR). In doing so, space was created in my community for businesses to learn from one another’s sustainability journeys. Other communities similarly began to take action through groups like the C40 and FCM’s Partners for Climate Protection Program. States and provinces were a mixed bag. Some like BC led by implementing North America’s first carbon tax, others like Ontario joined the Western Climate Initiative though didn’t actively pursue putting a price on carbon.

In the intervening years, so much has changed. Ontario has phased out coal-fired electricity and introduced the Green Energy Act to spur an unprecedented take-up of renewable energy in this province. Cities emerged as a leading voice on climate change and a source of hope for many, and my energy has continued to be focused here. Having started Sustainability CoLab to share the program we piloted at SWR, 12% of the workforces Niagara and Waterloo Regions are now setting targets to reduce their carbon impact by almost 60,000 tonnes, while organizations across the province are launching similar programs, from the Climate-Wise Business Network in York Region to Carbon 613 in Ottawa.

The federal government, however, has continued to give little attention to the climate crisis. If anything, they’ve dug their heels in, continually positioning a false choice between the economy and the environment. It’s a damaging and unfortunate narrative that has cast Canada as a villain on the international stage.

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Question for this article:

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

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And so it’s on this backdrop that #CSOTA felt like a public declaration for a new, more collaborative and more empowered approach from subnational jurisdictions across the continent.

Time and again I heard: there is no need for us to wait for others to act. There’s no time to waste. And collectively, regions and states stated their readiness to harness their considerable influence.

Tangibly, the Summit produced 22 state and region signatories to a Climate Action Statement, itself linking to action in several areas, including commitments to join any one of the “Under 2 MOU”, to sign the Compact of States and Regions, and to support carbon pricing. The Under 2 MOU is of particular significance, underscoring an interest both in limiting warming to 2oC and to bringing GHG emissions down to 2 tonnes per capital. Both are ambitious and needed goals.

One sign that I’m optimistic these politicians are serious about their promises goes beyond the words they used to describe the crisis, which ranged from metaphors evoking the sinking of the Titanic to post-WWII nation building.

Their actions speak louder: In her opening address, I expected Premier Kathleen Wynne to be as passionate and persuasive as she was; in her words: “we have to find a better way to build prosperity”. Just two days before the opening of the Pan Am games in her province’s capital, I wouldn’t have been surprised if after her keynote she ducked out to attend a myriad of other public events, ceremonies, you name it. Instead, she stayed for the next day and a half of open and closed sessions, concluding with the signing of the Climate Action Statement. In her words and her actions she was clear: the Premier wants Ontario to lead by example and she’s strongly encouraging others to join in.

North America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

16 Successful Projects Highlighting Permaculture Use

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Danielle Nierenberg, Savannah Knell, and Emily Nink for Foodtank

Permaculture is an innovative ethics and design based process used to make agriculture more sustainable, restore soil, conserve water, and redirect waste streams. The process is inspired by the everyday relationships found in nature. The primary goal of adopting permaculture principles is to empower individuals to be their own producers and move away from being dependent consumers. These techniques are practiced in very different ways globally based on climate and resources particular to the region. While there is variety in the methodology of permaculture practices, the holistic approach remains constant. The easy to remember primary ethics of permaculture include earth care, people care, and resource share. 

permaculture

Permaculture is an innovative ethics and design based process used to make agriculture more sustainable, restore soil, conserve water, and redirect waste streams. The process is inspired by the everyday relationships found in nature. The primary goal of adopting permaculture principles is to empower individuals to be their own producers and move away from being dependent consumers. These techniques are practiced in very different ways globally based on climate and resources particular to the region. While there is variety in the methodology of permaculture practices, the holistic approach remains constant. The easy to remember primary ethics of permaculture include earth care, people care, and resource share. 

There has recently been a call for research on the long-term benefits and participation rates of individuals adopting the principles. According to Scott Pittman, the director of the National Permaculture Institute, approximately 100,000 to 150,000 students have completed the certificate course with around 50,000 students from the United States. There is a wide body of literature confirming many success stories of permaculture being implemented around the globe. According to Appleseed Permaculture, over 1,000,000 people are now certified in permaculture in more than 140 countries with more than 4,000 projects on the ground. 

The use of permaculture has been instrumental in combating malnutrition in Malawi. Never Ending Food is an organization dedicated to Permaculture and nutrition, Africa. Stacia and Kristof Nordin focus on designing systems for sustainable living. The organization has been facilitating various sessions and Permaculture Design Courses throughout Malawi. Because Malawi has a 12-month growing season, access to water, and a large genetic base of local food crops, the incorporation of permaculture has the potential to produce large amounts of food throughout the year and bring about positive agricultural change. By making low-cost improvements to family farms, Malawian families can increase their overall household food security. To increase awareness about the benefits of permaculture, the Kusamala Institute of Agriculture and Ecology implemented the Red Soil Project to create a means for farmers to share knowledge and experience about the process. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) reported that permaculture is a viable solution to help combat food insecurity for the 15 percent of the global population that’s malnourished. Permaculture farmers in Malawi have on average, better food security, larger diet diversity, and higher crop yield compared to conventional farmers. 

The Worldwide Permaculture Network has published an extensive database on which to understand better what projects exist all over the world. The site allows you to search for projects based on keywords, climate zone, and types of projects to better filter your results. Currently, the site features 1957 permaculture projects around the globe. 

To get a better sense of what projects are happening across the globe, Food Tank highlights 16 successful projects featuring permaculture use: 

1. Ferme MiKu Valley Farm – MiKu is located in rural Eastern Ontario, Canada and is a successful demonstration and educational site. The farm spans 68 acres and is home to a small livestock group, expanding market gardens, food forest development, and an educational site with a permaculture design. They welcome wwoofers in three seasons to help promote their practice of permaculture and gain hands on experience.

2. Findhorn Ecovillage – The Findhorn Foundation community is an experiment in conscious living, an education center, and ecovillage located on the west coast of Scotland in the United Kingdom. The Foundation prides itself on being sustainable not only with regard to environmental terms, but also in social, economic, and spiritual terms. Findhorn offers a permaculture design course to provide a comprehensive introduction to permaculture principles, design practices, and their application. 

3. Green Beat Farm – Green Beat is a demonstrative, productive, experimental, and educational farm built on permaculture principles located in Tulum, Mexico. The farm produces vegetables and microgreens for local restaurants, Hotels, and community members. Main crops produced include Arugula, Chard, Kale, Mustard Greens, and Broccoli. Green Beat additionally hosts a large volunteer program that welcomes individuals from all over the globe. 

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Question for this article:

The role of organic farming, Can it help preserve the planet and end world hunger?

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4. Habiba Organic Farm – Located in Nuweiba, Eygpt, Habiba Organic Farm is a former piece of desert on a Bedouin settlement turned into fertile land. The primary interest of Habiba farmers is to experiment to develop appropriate farming techniques for the Sinai Peninsula. This area has previously been difficult in which to grow viable crops. The farm has been successful in introducing a number of crops that can thrive in desert conditions. 

5. Happy Food Farm – Based in Nanning, China, this farm grows fruit, vegetables, and flowers, and breeds fish and chicken. The farm is almost entirely self-sustained on the fruits and vegetables it grows. Furthermore, the farm has a dedicated practice to teaching local children about the benefits of permaculture and has developed educational programming. 

6. IDEP Foundation – IDEP is a local Indonesian NGO based in Bali, Indonesia. The organization develops and delivers training, community programs, and media related to sustainable development through the permaculture method and disaster management. Their work throughout the foundation covers four areas that make up the cycle of resilience including permaculture, disaster preparedness, emergency response, and community recovery. 

7. Institute of Permaculture El Salvador – This permaculture movement is a grassroots organization of sustainable farmers and makes up an alliance of three local permaculture associations: The Ecological Association of Permaculturists of Suchitoto, The Ecological Association of Indigenous Kakawira Farmers, and The Association of Permaculturists of Torola. Their mission is to promote permaculture for the development of a healthier, wiser, and more ecologically sustainable society. 

8. Koanga Institute – Koanga is home to New Zealand’s largest heritage organic seed collection. The Institute provides a home for the Permaculture Research Institute of Wairoa, New Zealand and is internationally known for producing competent and knowledgeable students and teachers. Workshops are geared toward individuals who are interested in living sustainably and empowering change in their communities. 

9. Permaculture Association of South Australia – PASA is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to promote, practice, and represent permaculture in South Australia. The organization focuses on the following permaculture ethics: Care for the Earth, Care of People, Limiting Consumption, and Fair Distribution of Resources. PASA provides a means for local groups to be connected to one another and find out about projects in South Australia, Australia, and the rest of the globe. 

10. Permaculture in Ukraine – This NGO aims to unify the efforts of those who have successfully applied permaculture techniques in their households and to give them an opportunity to share experiences and support others. Their mission is to spread knowledge and promote the idea of permaculture in society. Future goals include establishing the School of Permaculture in Ukraine in order to provide permaculture instruction at a high level, taking into consideration local conditions and needs.

11. Permaculture Institute of North America – PINA supports students and experienced practitioners of permaculture in North America and Hawaii. The primary goals of PINA include maintaining professional standards in permaculture design, teaching, and practice. The grassroots organization additionally supports permaculture education through a certification process that recognizes exceptional achievement and excellence.

12. Permaculture Institute Thailand (PIT) – The Institute brands themselves as a Thailand permaculture support organization that encourages, supports, and facilitates all forms of education, demonstration, and farmers associated with practicing permaculture. The mission of PIT is to spread the ethics, principles, and theory throughout Thailand, to encourage a sustainable livelihood, and to address the local issues of poverty. 

13. Philly Permaculture – This organization serves as a local forum for all things permaculture based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are showing several videos about mushrooms and will explore and discuss how mushrooms can be used as a healing agent in addition to a main ingredient in vegetarian based recipes. They will also be covering basic cultivation techniques. Each month they select a different educational film to watch and discuss how to incorporate what they learned into their permaculture practices. 

14. Regenerative Kitchen Garden & Food Forest – Located in Anjuna, India, this project focuses on ecosystem regeneration of land that for 20 years had vegetation systematically burnt. The regenerative mission consisted of diversifying the crops by planting five coconut trees, neem trees, and legumes. 

15. Senegal Permaculture Project – This project is based in Sare Suma, Senegal and was implemented at under the request of a local Senegalese landowner to encourage sustainability and local growth. The project is focused on using a local 11-acre farm as a demonstration and educational site for fellow villagers. The permaculture systems demonstrated will include harvesting water, planting trees, permaculture guilds, building soil fertility, and animals in a permaculture system. 

16. Third Millennium Alliance – The Alliance emphasizes a holistic approach to preserve the last remnants of Ecuador’s coastal Pacific Forest and to empower local communities to restore and preserve what was lost. Their practices encourage economic and environmental sustainability in the region for the local communities. To date, they have planted over 20,000 trees and developed an experimental fruit tree orchard with over 50 species of food trees, a vegetable garden, and a tree nursery. 

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Urban Farming Is Booming in the US, but What Does It Really Yield?

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Elizabeth Royte, Ensia (abridged)

. . .. That researchers are even bothering to quantify the amount of food produced on tiny city farms — whether community gardens, like those of Camden and Philly, or for-profit operations, like Leadley’s — is testament to the nation’s burgeoning local-foods movement and its data-hungry supporters. Young farmers are, in increasing numbers, planting market gardens in cities, and “local” produce (a term with no formal definition) now fills grocery shelves across the U.S., from Walmart to Whole Foods, and is promoted in more than 150 nations around the world.

urbanfarming
photo by Martin Szczepanski

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports that 800 million people worldwide grow vegetables or fruits or raise animals in cities, producing what the Worldwatch Institute reports to be an astonishing 15 to 20 percent of the world’s food. In developing nations, city dwellers farm for subsistence, but in the U.S., urban ag is more often driven by capitalism or ideology. The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t track numbers of city farmers, but based on demand for its programs that fund education and infrastructure in support of urban-ag projects, and on surveys of urban ag in select cities, it affirms that business is booming. How far — and in what direction — can this trend go? What portion of a city’s food can local farmers grow, at what price, and who will be privileged to eat it? And can such projects make a meaningful contribution to food security in an increasingly crowded world? . . .

Despite their relatively small size, urban farms grow a surprising amount of food, with yields that often surpass those of their rural cousins. This is possible for a couple reasons. First, city farms don’t experience heavy insect pressure, and they don’t have to deal with hungry deer or groundhogs. Second, city farmers can walk their plots in minutes, rather than hours, addressing problems as they arise and harvesting produce at its peak. They can also plant more densely because they hand cultivate, nourish their soil more frequently and micromanage applications of water and fertilizer.

As social enterprises, community gardens operate in an alternate financial universe: they don’t sustain themselves with sales, nor do they have to pay employees.

Though they don’t get as much press as for-profit farms and heavily capitalized rooftop operations, community gardens — which are collectively tended by people using individual or shared plots of public or private land, and have been a feature in U.S. cities for well over a century — are the most common form of urban agriculture in the nation, producing far more food and feeding more people, in aggregate, than their commercial counterparts. As social enterprises, community gardens operate in an alternate financial universe: they don’t sustain themselves with sales, nor do they have to pay employees. Instead, they rely on volunteer or cheap youth labor, they pay little or nothing in rent, and they solicit outside aid from government programs and foundations that support their social and environmental missions. These may include job training, health and nutrition education, and increasing the community’s resilience to climate change by absorbing stormwater, counteracting the urban heat island effect and converting food waste into compost.

Funders don’t necessarily expect community gardens to become self-sustaining. These farms may increase their revenue streams by selling at farmers markets or to restaurants, or they may collect fees from restaurants or other food-waste generators for accepting scraps that will be converted into compost, says Ruth Goldman, a program officer at the Merck Family Fund, which funds urban agriculture projects. “But margins on vegetable farming are very slim, and because these farms are doing community education and training teen leaders, they’re not likely to operate in the black” . . .

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Question for this article:

What is the relation between movements for food sovereignty and the global movement for a culture of peace?

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In the world’s poorest nations, city dwellers have always farmed for subsistence. But more of them are farming now than ever before. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, it’s estimated that 40 percent of the urban population is engaged in agriculture. Long-time residents and recent transplants alike farm because they’re hungry, they know how to grow food, land values in marginal areas (under power lines and along highways) are low, and inputs like organic wastes — fertilizer — are cheap. Another driver is the price of food: People in developing nations pay a far higher percentage of their total income for food than Americans do, and poor transportation and refrigeration infrastructure make perishable goods, like fruits and vegetables, especially dear. Focusing on these high-value crops, urban farmers both feed themselves and supplement their incomes.

In the U.S., urban farming is likely to have its biggest impact on food security in places that, in some ways, resemble the global south — that is, in cities or neighborhoods where land is cheap, median incomes are low and the need for fresh food is high. Detroit, by this metric, is particularly fertile ground. Michael Hamm, a professor of sustainable agriculture at Michigan State University, calculated that the city, which has just under 700,000 residents and more than 100,000 vacant lots (many of which can be purchased, thanks to the city’s recent bankruptcy, for less than the price of a refrigerator), could grow three quarters of its current vegetable consumption and nearly half its fruit consumption on available parcels of land using biointensive methods.

No one expects city farms in the U.S. to replace peri-urban or rural vegetable farms: cities don’t have the acreage or the trained farmers, and most can’t produce food anything close to year-round. . .
That doesn’t mean that community gardeners, who don’t even try to be profitable, aren’t making a big difference in their immediate communities. Camden’s 31,000 pounds (14,000 kg) of produce might not seem like a lot, but it’s a very big deal for those lucky enough to get their hands on it. “In poor communities where households earn very little income,” says Domenic Vitiello, an associate professor of city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania, “a few thousand dollars’ worth of vegetables and fruit grown in the garden makes a much bigger difference than for more affluent households.”
History tells us that community gardening — supported by individuals, government agencies and philanthropies — is here to stay.

And whether these gardens ultimately produce more food or more knowledge about food — where it comes from, what it takes to produce it, how to prepare and eat it — they still have enormous value as gathering places and classrooms and as conduits between people and nature. Whether or not cultivating fruits and vegetables in tiny urban spaces makes economic or food-security sense, people who want to grow food in cities will find a way to do so. As Laura Lawson says, “City gardens are part of our ideal sense of what a community should be. And so their value is priceless.”

North America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT