Can we save the planet?
Rio+20 conference carries our hopes for a sustainable
future
World leaders have gathered in Brazil to talk about the
environment, climate change and the future of the planet.
The Rio+20 conference is taking place 20 years after an historic
Earth Summit in the same city. That meeting was really important in
getting people to think about green issues such as climate change,
and it was when the international Eco Schools movement was set
up.
The 1992 Earth Summit was very significant but many people think
we are still not doing enough to protect the planet.
Rio+20 is a chance for leaders to talk about environmental
destruction and poverty and how to build a more sustainable
future.
As the world population grows, we are using up more energy and
food resources, while producing more pollution. Burning fuels like
gas and oil to heat homes, run cars and create electricity all
create carbon emissions, which most experts blame for causing
global warming, or climate change.
Glaciers and polar ice caps are melting rapidly and flooding is
increasing as sea levels rise. Other parts of the world are being
hit by droughts and heat waves, which may be due to climate change
too.
Scotland is already being affected by global warming.
Biodiversity is falling, meaning that plant and animal species are
dying out. Just this week it was reported that native plants and
vegetation are disappearing from the hills and mountains of
north-west Scotland, while a quarter of all Scottish heather has
been lost since the 1940s.
Even our water supply could be under threat in coming years,
because of changing and unpredictable rainfall patterns.
Scotland aims to cut carbon emissions by 42% by 2020 and to
reduce them by 80% by 2050. The Scottish government has also
contributed a total of £7 million towards climate justice funds.
This is a sum of money that is given to people in developing
countries to help them to cope with some of the worst effects of
climate change - floods and droughts.
But only a plan for sustainable development that is agreed to
and stuck to by all major countries will really make a
difference.
The hopes for Rio+20 are high.
Click
here to try our climate change quiz
Lesson ideas and
suggestions
Join the Daily What News Facebook group
Watch us LIVE on Glow TV
Can we save the planet?
United Nations leader praises Scotland's climate
policies
Scotland has been showered with praise for its climate policies
by the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon.
In a personal letter to First Minister Alex Salmond, Ban said he
was delighted by the Scottish Government's "deep commitment" to
sustainable energy, adding that he was pleased the government
wanted to work with the UN to promote energy efficiency and
renewable energy for all.
"With an abundance of natural resources paired with ambitious
renewable targets, Scotland is in an excellent position to play a
leading role in our common efforts to find lasting sustainable
solutions to the world's pressing energy challenges," wrote
Ban.
Ban invited the first minister's office to work with UN
officials "on ways to deepen the engagement of your government with
the efforts of the United Nations".
The UN-Scotland love-in follows a meeting between Salmond and
Ban in January at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.
Salmond has now written to UN officials to begin the process of
closer cooperation on energy policy.
"I am committed to ensuring Scotland plays its part in the
collective efforts of the UN, business and government around the
world to bring about improved standards of sustainable energy for
all peoples and for the good of our environment," Salmond told
Ban.
The unveiling of Scotland's bigger role in the UN comes on the
eve of a major UN summit on sustainable development in the
Brazilian capital next week. Known as "Rio+20", as it is taking
place 20 years after a historic earth summit in the same city 20
years ago, it is an attempt to shift the world towards a more
environmentally-friendly form of economic development.
Scotland will be represented in Rio by its environment and
climate change minister, Stewart Stevenson. He will attend a series
of events pledging the Scottish Government's support for
sustainable energy, energy equality and climate justice.
"Scotland has a valuable contribution to make - that is the
message I will take to Rio and I look forward to a deeper
partnership with the UN as we work together for an equitable and
sustainable future," Stevenson said.
Last month, Scottish ministers launched a £3 million climate
justice fund to help poorer countries cope with floods and droughts
caused by climate change. The initiative won praise from Mary
Robinson, the former Irish President and former UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as environmental,
development and faith groups.
"Developed countries have a moral obligation to help developing
countries tackle climate change and energy inequality," argued
Stevenson. "Scotland is already doing what it can, and our recently
launched climate justice fund has received overwhelming support
from Scottish civic society."
The Scottish Government this weekend also announced £4m worth of
funding to help communities in Tanzania, Zambia and Rwanda combat
problems caused by climate change. Support is being given to
projects run by three charities: Oxfam, the Scottish Catholic
International Aid Fund and Tearfund.
"Scotland is well aware of its responsibilities to the wider
world and we know that it is some of the world's most vulnerable
people in sub-Saharan Africa that are dealing with the harsh
realities of climate change," said Stevenson.
Click
here to try our climate change quiz
Lesson ideas and
suggestions
Join the Daily What News Facebook group
Watch us LIVE on Glow TV