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icon.jpg (663 bytes) Regional consultative meeting on World Summit on Sustainable Development in Thrissur on April 11, 2002

A one-day meeting was organized by The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on April 11, in collaboration with Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP), with the following objectives:

1. To create awareness amongst civil society groups, government and media about the politics and process leading up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).

2. To bring about debate on issues relating to the region which have a global character.

3. To draw up recommendations on issues which should be taken up by the global community in view of their serious impact on global environment

NGOs, media, scientists and bureaucrats from the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka participated in the meeting. The themes that were discussed in the morning session covered topics from ‘sustainability and development’ to ‘cultural diversity and sustainable development’. Some of the issues that were identified for consideration were:

  • Environmental Governance
  • Ecological Poverty
  • Biodiversity
  • Trade and Environment
  • Climate Change
  • Ecological Security

In the afternoon, two working group sessions were set-up on the issues of Climate Change and Biodiversity. The following comments emerged from these sessions:

bullet.gif (63 bytes) Climate change

  • Developed countries should undertake primary responsibility to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions
  • Developing countries should be given ecological space to achieve their developmental goals
  • Developing countries need to be far more assertive
  • Paradigm shift towards greener technologies and renewable energy needs to be made
  • From a national perspective, scientists need to develop a knowledge base, and indicators of climate change in India.
  • Government, media, scientists and civil society need to network effectively
  • Equal per capita entitlements should be the basis for any negotiation

bullet.gif (63 bytes) Biodiversity

  • The sovereign right of the community over its natural resources needs to be recognised
  • There are three ways to sustainable development:
      • Environmental sustainability
      • Economic sustainability
      • Social sustainability
  • Traditional knowledge base and tribal wisdom should be both protected and encouraged
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  • Further thought needs to be given to the issue of whether or not people’s biodiversity registers should be maintained
  • Equity and ethics are key factors in determining benefit sharing
  • Funding agencies need to look at environmental as well as social sustainability and not just economic sustainability
  • Traditional wisdom is a psychological condition – this needs to be incorporated into our ‘conservationist’ mindsets
  • Bio safety mechanisms need to be set up
  • Mechanisms to prevent bio piracy
  • Awareness creation and networking between institutions is key

In conclusion, the participants recognised that:

  • Trends demonstrate the growing gap between ground reality and the hopes raised at Rio.
  • The concept of common but differentiated responsibilities must be pushed globally, and that equity has to be the central theme of all negotiations.
  • Fragmentary approaches to environment and sustainable development schemes are unacceptable – a global structure has to be established that addresses the following issues:

1. Capacity building
2. Developing environmental information systems
3. Environmental justice delivery
4. Sufficient budgetary and resource allocation
5. Coordination amongst different agencies/institutions
6. Both formal and non-formal systems, need to be encouraged

  • The unpredictable nature and general paucity of financial resources was severely restricting the implementation of Agenda 21. New and innovative funding solutions need to be implemented in order to address this issue
  • Ecological security is a key issue for developing nations

1. Disaster management (monitoring, reporting and cooperation)
2. Measures must be proactive: Anticipation, avoidance, restoration and rehabilitation – these must be addressed as part of a global coalition like the ‘war against terrorism’.

  • Unsustainable production and consumption patterns are unacceptable.
  • They felt that much greater coherence was required in the trade and financial systems

1. Institutions such as the WTO should not be allowed to take precedence over environmental concerns
2. Multinational corporations should be made accountable for their actions
3. Trading and dumping of wastes should be banned

  • Local stakeholders need to be involved in the decision making process
  • Both traditional knowledge systems and technological leapfrogging must go hand in hand
  • Political weakness has been the major stumbling block in achieving goals: the political leadership must come through with firm resolve.

A press conference was held at the end of the meeting to brief journalists about the issues discussed and resolutions undertaken. The meeting found coverage in The Hindu, The New Indian Express, local television media and regional newspapers, over two days.