My Expectations from RIO and the Future I Want

It has been an eye-opener in all these years on the various climate conferences, COP and leader summits taken place in addressing the biggest challenge on this planet – Climate Change & Sustainable Development. Yet, there has been very little action has been taken.

The question that arises is that will RIO+20 be any different? The conference has already opened opinion poles asking individuals on what they want to be different, what does sustainability mean to them in The Future We Want 20 years from now. Social media like Facebook has played a massive role in reaching out to millions across the globe, connecting young minds who wish to make a change and aggressively asking people what they want the world to look like two decades from now.

Personally the future I want is where sustainable development is at its prime which means anchored in offices, industries, schools, institutions and residences across the world. Politics and government treat sustainable business and development as the top priority in the world, there is a complete balance over human activities and the natural environment, Strict regulations, laws, wildlife protection and natural resource capital has the tightest security. CFL/ LED light bulbs in everyone’s homes are made from plastic bottles, rainwater harvesting is on every persons roof and recycling water takes place in every home, commercial establishment and industry.

I want to see a future where we learn the value of water, air and earth. Where green spaces are common in every establishment, where compressed natural gas (CNG) is the order in transportation, the waste to wealth concept is a business opportunity in cities and bio fuel is the largest petrol and oil industry. Harnessing the power of water, sun, air and the earth is the biggest development and making huge turnovers. Our coral reefs, forests, water, wildlife, mountains, ice caps and natural things exist in real life and growing.

The poor are affected by environmental and social issues the most and we cannot address the topic of sustainable development without addressing poverty which is the biggest polluter today as Indira Gandhi so rightly said. Fighting against poverty needs to be a worldwide struggle, in every continent, country, state, town and city. NGOs and government working together , people need to understand that they are responsible for their actions and taught that caring and making a difference goes a long way. Equity development is the most crucial part of sustainable development, south countries of the world need to realise this. The ‘I don’t care attitude’ is not going to get you anywhere.

This is just a small entity of the problems out there. In a planet where Emerging Countries (like India) are still fighting over presidency and draft issues on the upcoming RIO summit and refuse to submit to the European carbon tax plans if there is no definite plan of where we are heading nationally then what about on a global front?

RIO+20 needs to look at each country, draw an accountability of whats done, involve women – they are the biggest change agents in agriculture and rich indigenous knowledge, social enterprise, equity + poverty = human sustainable development. There must be a pattern where both men and women understand this cycle.

Join the dots and start an action plan before generations after us start questioning why we dint do what we should when there was time.

I want more and expect more from RIO this year.