Maruxa Cardama, nrg4SD

With the publication of the zero draft, many ingredients for the recipe of the much needed change of paradigm are now on in the kitchen. The question now is: will the international community get the dish right over the next months? Certainly the meal being prepared is not an ordinary one. Time is as limited as ever. And we are talking about the chance for world leaders to take realistic stock on the state of our societies and trace a courageous, realistic and results-oriented path to sustainable development (SD).

Fatima Rodrigo, NGO Representative at the United Nations, International Presentation Association of the Sisters of the Presentation

Our world is experiencing rapidly growing inequality, with 80% of the world’s population sharing a mere 30% of the world’s wealth. According to the International Labour Organisation, the income of just 1% of the world’s population (the 61 million persons) is equal to that of 56% (3.3 billion persons). Linked with this inequality, corporation-led practices, such as mining, the use of chemicals and pesticides, water pollution, and deforestation, have a severe and dangerous effect on the Earth. These combined actions have created an unsustainable future for the human community. It is the people who are forced to live in poverty and the planet itself that bear the brunt of this inequality. As stated by Pat Mooney of the ETC group: ‘Our energy system is unsustainable; our food chain is breakable; our environment is eroding and our water is running out’ (see www.etcgroup.com).