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by
Kevin Dance, C.P.
 REPRESENTATIVES OF ALL the member states of the United Nations, as
well as over thirty thousand members of "civil society," met
in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 19th to September 4th, 2002
for a world summit on sustainable development. Their purpose was to
evaluate progress made towards fulfilling goals set ten years previously
at a UN summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
The goals were:
- To
agree on strong international commitments to deal with the scandal
of one third of the world's people (2 billion people) living in poverty.
- To
protect the environment of the earth from further degradation.
 Any
Progess?
The sobering truth is that little was done to realize these goals
in ten years. More people, rather than less, are doomed to live in poverty.
The earth given into our care by God continues to be damaged and polluted.
right: Church Center for the United Nations
Why haven't the goals been met? Because those who drive the world
agenda are keen to have us produce more and to consume more, as a way
to profit. We are taught to want more rather than less. This "growth"
model favors countries and corporations of the industrialized North,
which dictate international decisions and are not listening to the moderating
call of "sustainable development."
What
is "Sustainable Development"?
"Sustainable development" is a concept first enunciated at the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro
in June 1992, which became known as the Earth Summit. It is defined
as "meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their needs."
The Rio conference introduced two important principles:
The Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibility for the
Environment. This means that every country has the responsiblility to
care for the earth, but since some pollute the earth more than others,
they have a bigger responsibility to clean up the mess.
The Precautionary Principle. This means that if there is a well-founded
fear that a course of action will do harm to the environment, then it
must be avoided. There was a strong presence of Christian churches and
other faith traditions at Rio De Janeiro in 1992.
next: What happened at Johannesburg?
also in this issue:
The Catholic Church and the United Nations
The U.N. at a Glance • Passionists at the United Nations
Security
at the Security Council, 1947 • Meet Fr David Cinquegrani
home page for this issue •
act with Compassion
directory of past issues
home page for this issue •
act with Compassion
directory of past issues
email questions or comments
Copyright
2002 - all rights reserved - Passionist Missionaries of Union City,
NJ, USA
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