Lanka proposes new yardsticks to guage development
Speech by
Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika
Ranawaka at United Nations Climatic Change conference in
Poznan, Poland. |
With the hope that all of us at COP14/MOP4 will make the much
expected contribution to the clarion call for the protection of mother
earth, on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka let me extend my
greetings and well wishes to the Polish government, the mayor and the
people of the charming city of Poznan, for hosting this UN Climatic
Change conference.
As we busy ourselves with the task of creating a successor for the
Kyoto Protocol in the run up to Copenhagen, let me remind that I take
pride in the fact that I represent a country that with its 0.6 Mt annual
per capita carbon emissions has a long way to go before reaching the
ceiling 2.1 Mt of CO2 eq. As at present, 82 countries world-wide exceed
this threshold level of per capita emission.
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Industrialised countries exeed thier quota of emissions. |
I represent a country which has no intention of exhausting the quota
for the simple reason that we love this mother earth to core and we do
not want to see an end to the existence of human race on this planet.
And we take pride in the fact that we are making this sacrifice at a
time so many industrialised countries have selfishly and ruthlessly
plundered the carbon quota of other countries and made this earth a less
healthy place for all of us.
While humbly taking the moral high ground on carbon emissions, as the
Environment and Natural Resources Minister of Sri Lanka let me propose
to introduce a new set of parameters and guidelines to measure
development and overhaul the archaic, obsolete old set of yardsticks
which only went on to give a false sense of prosperity to a handful of
industrialised countries.
More often than not these nations caused irreparable damage to mother
earth in their efforts to reach material prosperity.
They plundered the resources of other countries, squandered the
carbon quotas of dozens and dozens of environment-friendly nations like
ours. Through exceeding their own quota in emissions, the industrialised
countries have exploited not only the rights of the developing
countries, but also the rights of the unborn in both worlds.
yardsticks
The aim of Sri Lanka’s proposal is to address the inadequacies of the
old set of yardsticks used by the UN to gauge development, sans the
environment aspect.
Therefore, we propose to use a new index with more appropriate
parameters such as per capita and total carbon emissions of a country
and an ecological index to showcase the state of the world with the
impact of human activity on it.
After an exhaustive and well documented study the Environment and
Natural Resources Ministry of Sri Lanka has launched the world’s first
Sustainable Human Development Index (SHDI).
Brazil leads world’s first SHDI closely followed by Sweden and
Bolivia in the second and third places respectively. Norway is in the
10th slot and Australia is one slot behind them. The United Kingdom is
placed 55th placed and you have India four places behind. Right behind
India, are Pakistan and Nepal.
injustice
The United Sates of America which has occupied 12th slot in the Human
Development Index is placed 94 in the Sustainable Human Development
Index. In order to remedy the grave injustice caused to
environment-friendly nations by the over-ambitious nations, may we
propose that the errant nations pay their dues in the form an
environment debt they owed to present and future generations of the
affected countries.
While the SHDI prepared by Sri Lanka throws light on nations that
have conducted irresponsibly in this regard, we propose that we do a
proper study to estimate their environment debt and kick off a
comprehensive compensation programme.
Such an attempt will ensure environmental justice for the wronged -
in the present and the generation yet to be born. Before concluding let
me also reiterate that at this juncture we need a paradigm shift in the
approach of the World Bank (WB)/International Monetary Fund (IMF) which
was founded in 1945, some 63 years ago.
The pronounced aim of the WB at the time of the formation was
assisting countries affected by World War 2, which itself was a direct
repercussion of the economic recession of 1929. However to this date
World Bank/IMB has not been able to counter allegations that it was set
up to further the business interests of the United States.
We have come a long way since 1945. Now we are again on the verge of
an economical crisis, and to survive this, short term capital infusions
will not be of much use. The battle lines have completely changed. The
war-affected nations have raised their heads too ambitiously,
impoverishing a new set of countries.
There are new issues, new challenges and new battles. We are
witnessing a complete realignment of global power politics.
Today we have a black gentleman as President-elect of the United
States and entire world placed on red alert with the fast aggravating,
grave threats to ecology.
None of these were envisioned in 1945 when the World Bank was formed.
Now we are witnessing a second economic recession. It is clear that
short term capital infusion in this crisis will not serve any purpose.
Therefore, we expect a change of the WB/IMF role in the CTF at the
Copenhagen conference since it has been proven beyond doubt that WB/IMF
is investing heavily on coal-fired power plants.
Sri Lanka is therefore proposing the setting up of a new Bank, a
Global Sustainable Development Bank to reverse this lethal trend and put
the human race back on the right track.
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