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The countries of the world need to rethink their development strategies to reduce the damage caused to the natural environment, otherwise they run the risk of reaching a stalemate that will affect all the progress of humanity in general.
The warning is contained in a report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The coronavirus pandemic is the latest crisis facing the world.
“We are at an unprecedented moment in the history of humanity and in the history of our planet. The Covid-19 pandemic is the latest terrible consequence of very large imbalances. Scientists have long warned that unknown pathogens will appear as a result of interactions between humans and wildlife – interactions that have increased in intensity, driving local ecosystems to such a high level that viruses have spilled out. mortals.. The new coronavirus may be the last in this regard and if we do not relax the pressure on nature, it will not be the last.
New pathogens do not fall from the sky or the epidemics they can cause. Covid-19 spread quickly taking advantage of the cracks in companies and exploiting innumerable inequalities in human development, ”reads this year’s Human Development Report, entitled“ The Next Frontier, ”published in December.
While Covid-19 has absorbed the world’s attention, pre-existing crises continue. We just have to look changing weather – The Atlantic hurricane season has broken new records or was about to do so, the number of storms has intensified, in the last 12 months extraordinary fires have destroyed large areas of Australia, the Amazon rainforest or the west coast of the United States .
People have more power over the planet than ever
Many researchers sound the alarm that we live or are about to witness the mass extinction of some species, the sixth event of its kind in the history of the planet and the first man-made, according to the same report.
“People have more power over the planet than ever. Due to COVID-19, record temperatures and spiraling inequality, it is time to use this power to redefine what we mean by progress.said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
It points out that no country in the world has reached a very high level of development without exerting immense pressure on the planet.
“But we could be the first generation to correct this error.. This is the next obstacle to human development, “Steiner added.
The UNDP Human Development Report, “The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene”, includes a new experimental index of human progress that takes into account carbon dioxide emissions and the footprint of countries.
These two recently included elements come to adjust the annual index of human development, until now linked to health, education and the standard of living of a nation.
Therefore, the new index shows how the global development landscape would change if both human well-being and the planet were seen as equally important to the progress of humanity.
Work with nature, not against it
Progress in human development, says the UNDP, “will require working with nature and not against it, directing social norms, values, and government and financial incentives.”
Estimates suggest that By 2100, the world’s poorest countries could experience up to 100 days of extreme weather conditions due to climate change each year, a number that could be cut in half if the Paris Agreement on climate change is fully implemented.
However, reforestation and greater attention to forests It alone could have nearly a quarter of the impact needed to reduce global warming by two degrees by 2030, the report notes.
Dismantle power imbalances
The report also highlights the impact of inequalities between and within countries, lack of participation of indigenous peoples in decision-making and discrimination, leaving affected communities exposed to high environmental risks.
Improving the pressures on the planet in a way that allows all people to thrive in this new era requires dismantling large power imbalances and leads to new opportunities.
The lead author of the report, Pedro Conceição, noted that “the choice is not between people or trees.”
“It’s about recognizing today that human progress, characterized by uneven and carbon-intensive development, has run its course, but by addressing inequalities, capitalizing on innovation, and working with nature, human development could take a transformative step toward forward to support societies and the planet together, “he said.
Publisher: Georgiana Marina
