Redefining Global Agenda

Redefining Global Agenda

By Dr Arvind Kumar

In a recently released report World on the Edge, Lester Brown, a global thinkr and head of the Earth Policy Institute, has warned that pressures on the environment -- from climate change to soil erosion to deforestation and declining water resources -- are rapidly combining to create a "perfect storm" that could result in massive disruptions in food supply, the collapse of the current economic structure, widespread unrest, and worse. Rejecting the idea that world has until, say, 2050 to get things on right track, Brown calls for action by 2020. In order to save the planet from climate-triggered catastrophe, Brown suggests four majro steps to be undertaken. The first step lays emphasis on cutting carbon emissions 80 percent – not by 2050, but by 2020. The second step pertains to stabilizing population because Earth is a finite planet and at some point population growth has come to a halt either because of accelerated shift to smaller families or because of spreading hunger that will push up mortality rate.

Brown’s third suggestion of the eradication of poverty is closely linked to population stabilization because shift to smaller families makes it easier to eradicate poverty. The fourth step relates to restoration of economy’s support system. According to Brown: “This means reforestation, soil conservation, stabilizing water tables, protecting oceanic fisheries, and protecting grasslands. This is important because we know that no civilization has ever survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours.” It is interesting to note here that cost of implementing these steps comes to an additional $ 200 billion of expenditures per year which is only one-third of the US military budget and less than one-seventh of the global military budget. In other words, global agenda has to be redefined.