Download Short-term measures

”The Financial and Climate Crises have the same
roots.”
- comments by Anders Wijkman, member of
the European Parliament and vice Precident of
the Club of Rome, at
Unesco Future Forum in Paris, march 2nd
2009.
Financial and Environment Crises
have the same roots
Yet, great risk that action on climate and
environment will be given lower prio:
1.Perception we cannot afford to address
climate and environment challenges because
of the economic crisis
2. Financial crisis make finance scarce for new
technologies
3. Oil prize reduced and investments in
alternatives looked upon as insecure
What is needed?
• Use stimulus packages for green investments
• Rethink the Policy Framework over the long
term
• Looking at stimulus packages so far the the
message is mixed
• Positive is that there are more than 250 new
pieces of legislation world-wide recently in
support of renewables and mitigation
• But overall much more could be done;
conventional growth is not the answer!
Short-term measures
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Multiply green elements of stimulus packages!
Not focus only on energy and climate
Support for renewables and efficiency is critical
Renewable energy, such as solar energy, geothermal
etc crucial in developing countries – where is the
funding?!
Also crucial: Resource efficiency as important as energy
Protection and regeneration of ecosystems
Avoided deforestation and stop forest degradation
Reforestation
Soil conservation, e g by applying biochar
Water management, esp rainwater harvesting
Marine protection
Long-term measures I
• Rethink our world view, in favour of ”systems
approach”
• Requires rethinking of organisation of science
and education in the interest of the Whole
• Specialisation is important but so is to
understand how things are interconnected
• Greater importance to trans- and
interdisciplinarity
• Crucial: Rethink education of economists
Long-term measures II
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rethink Economic Policy-framework
Beyond GDP
Give a value to Natural Capital and Ecosystem services
Implement Polluter Pays Principle
Rethink trad cost-benefit analysis (discounting)
Rethink Business Models ( revenues can not depend only on
increase in volume!)
• Learn from Nature ( Biomimicry )
• Address population ( live up to Cairo Programme )
• Reform Global Governance