Saving environment, a collective responsibility

Oasis

We all dream of a world without poverty, a world that is equitable, a world that respects human rights and a world that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, where economic growth is accomplished within the constraints of realising social objectives of poverty eradication and social equity.

Though this is an achievable dream, in order to realise it, there is a need to understand the triple interdependence of economic, social and environmental factors and integrate them into decision-making in governments and the private sector. Today, most countries are facing a common challenge, that is, how to manage natural resources in order to contribute to poverty alleviation while maintaining the ecological life support system.

Economics mainly deals with what, where and how much of the natural resources are required to alleviate poverty, while social issues deal with for whom are the resources developed and how much. Environmental issues address how natural resources can be managed with a minimum negative impact on ecosystems.

The need of the hour is to realise economic growth within the constraints of social and environmental sustainability. This is however not an easy task mainly, because there are many countries that resist the call for having population control.

The problem is that about 90% of population growth would be in those developing countries, where people value children all the more as forms of investment and security. That, however, does not absolve the developed countries of their share of responsibility. 25% of the world’s population which lives in industrially-developed countries consumes about 75% of the world’s resources and their industries have been a major factor in polluting the environment.

So, looking at the overall situation, it is a question of collective security in which all nations, institutions and individuals have to play a role. The challenge is to generate substantial benefits simultaneously across multiple economic, environmental and social objectives.

So, if we are to achieve our dream, the time to act is now by coming together and developing a spirit of cooperation, a sense of responsibility and sharing of mutual concerns. If we fail to act now, it will impoverish our current and future generations.