Sustainable Consumption in This Issue
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youth&environment magazine september 2009 sustainable consumption in this issue ... ... sustainable economics ... sustainable travelling ... why to become a vegeterian? This magazine was published with financial support from European Commission and European Youth Foundation. Editorial Sustainable consumption sounds like an tion. Various authors try to give some ideas in the utopia. How far from that dreamed state are magazine that you have in your hands. You can find we? What do we need to do to get closer to this diverse approaches: the analysis of our economical ideal? What difficulties do we have to overcome? background (Dion Battersby), informative articles Prof. Josef Šmajs, Czech philosopher describes on organic food (Gjoko Zoroski), vermi-composting the contemporary state of humans through our cul- (Harzi Marzouk) and vegetarianism (Theresa Bros- ture. Culture now stands against nature as more and ge). As well as essays on corporations and the im- more of our cultural manifestations harm the en- portance of our choice (EVS - Toulcuv Dvur Jaime vironment. Our main goal in our effort to survive Fernández Truchado) or ‘mobile phone’ stupidity as a species while not destroying the planet has to (ex-YEE EVS Mélanie Ruppe). Of course, you will be a harmonisation of our relationship with nature. find much more in our magazine, however the topic Nature is much stronger than the human species al- of sustainable consumption is too great to be covered though we, as part of the interconnected web of na- in entirety. We hope that what you read will inspire ture, cannot survive without a healthy home to live you and help to improve your sustainable way of life in. and to be an inspiration for others. There are already How does this exchange with nature look like? thousands of people and communities that have made Nowadays we use natural resources and we trans- a choice to be move to being more sustainable. The form them into things and systems that are harmful Transition movement is spreading all over the world, to the environment – rubbish, toxics, noise – non re- including the philosophy of downshifting, responsi- cyclable, non biodegradable. Our mission is to come ble consumption, permaculture, and the alternative back to the state where we are a part of the cycle of economy systems that restore direct connection bet- life. I write “come back” because not long time ago ween the producer and consumer are growing all we lived in balance with nature, as many still do in around us. It shows that we still have a choice, an imprint the rural countryside. For a long time our ancestors opportunity for change that is very much dependent accumulated knowledge about how to “survive in on us and our action now. The former infrastructure Youth and Environment is publication YEE office nature without harming it”. is poisoned from the head to the tail and it is more of Youth and Environment Europe Youth and Environment Europe Youth and Environment Europe is Kobatova 1/32 In the last century we have been losing this and more difficult to find a “fair” way. This is why a network of European youth Praha 10, 102 00 semblance of balance and we have come to the point we have to share what we know with each other. A organisations working with nature Czech Republic of open madness, full of paradoxes and open cruelty. sustainable society is a society with open commu- conservation and environment http://yeenet.eu We can name examples perpetrated by governments nication where we can freely learn from each other [email protected] and parliaments, corporations and capitalistic neo- and the responsibility to create such a society is up Editorial board Tel./Fax: +420 271 750 643 Beatrise Trope colonial globalisating system, but first of all we have to us. We all keen to see you in action! Michal Ruman to name ourselves as people responsible for such a Małgorzata Zubowicz Special thanks to: disaster... and be a part of its rehabilitation. Michal Ruman Aisha Hannibal European Commision and European Luckily we already know a lot of ways of how YEE Former Chairperson Youth Foundation for the financial to put ourselves in nature and be a part of the solu- (Konopa, Czech Republic) Layout support that made the publication Beatrise Trope of this magazine possible Contribution and support from: Pedro Pires, Dion Battersby, Jaime Fernández Truchado, Gjoko Zoroski, Harzi Marzouk, Agguini Madjid, Melanie Ruppe, Theresa Brosge, Laura Pasura Pictures from: YEE Archive, Gjoko Zoroski, www.sxu.hu 3 Y&E Magazine September 2009 Sustainable Consumption Global Financial Crisis and the Global Environment vironmental programmes. In the same way that the current finan- “There is an economic crisis, a financial crisis, an energy crisis and there is a climate cial crisis has been attributed to crisis. The climate crisis is permanent. All the other crises today, tomorrow, I hope mistakes in the West, yet affects will pass but the climate crisis is a permanent threat for the globe” people worldwide, environmental problems such as anthropogenic Stavros Dimas, climate change are fuelled by the EU Environment Commissioner. actions of the rich world, yet the effects are disproportionately felt The media are full of stories Change. lopment Mechanism enable richer by poorer countries. Both raise is- about the present global financial One response to the Global countries to invest in large scale sues of culpability and compensa- situation; whether a crunch, cri- economic crisis is to boost invest- projects in this region, with eco- tion, but in such economic down- sis, collapse, or merely a down- ment in new green technologies; nomic and environmental benefits times nations tend to become turn, economists agree that the this would create employment, for the hosting nations. more insular, and concern for the growing wave of recessions will have obvious environmental bene- Optimists also point to the environment and international aid have serious impacts across the fits and hopefully create a more fact that lower productivity and drops. world. People are losing their jobs, stable world economy in the peak disposable incomes will directly Such short term thinking does homes and investments: Chinese oil era. This option has special lead to a decrease in green house not just harm the planet; it is also factories are closing; European resonance for a country such as gas emission, however temporary, a false economy. The Stern Re- and American governments are Azerbaijan, which the IMF has and moderated consumption. It view on the Economics of Climate spending hundreds of billions of predicted will reach peak oil pro- is appealing to imagine formerly Change claims environmental in- dollars on rescuing financial insti- duction as early as 2010. At the consumerist societies reverting vestment of 1% GDP starting now tutions; protests have been staged time of writing, oil prices have to low energy lifestyles and Do- can avert future costs of 5-10% on the streets of Reykjavik, Edin- dropped to $47.00 a barrel and It-Yourself attitudes, alongside a GDP if action is not taken until burgh and Kuwait. many such nations must be refle- flourishing of social enterprise, the worst effects become appar- The social implications are cting on a less oil-dependent fu- as the effects of the recession are ent. clear, but what will be the affect ture. Investment and diversifica- felt by ordinary citizens. The reasons to protect the en- on the environment as a political tion is needed now to stop social It remains to be seen if new vironment are many and pressing; priority? crash when the reserves run out. poverty will lead to an increased the current economic troubles There are a growing number of One environmental benefit of awareness of the connections bet- do not take away ethical obliga- voices who see the current finan- continued low prices is that the ween consumerism, social in- tions or long term self-interest. cial climate as an opportunity for exploitation of ecologically sensi- equality and environmental deg- Perhaps one solution would be a expensive barrier structures. tion in a capitalist world. change and the catalyst needed to tive extraction sites, like the Ca- radation. In addition, this argu- more widespread application of One of the most striking exam- The short term prospects for move towards more sustainable nadian tar sands or Rocky Moun- ment very much refers to West- ecosystem valuation techniques. ples of these ecosystem services the Caucasus and world econo- patterns of consumption and pro- tain shales, become economically ern economies; the majority of Once simply the calculation of is the Amazon rainforest. It plays mies are bleak, but behavioural duction; however, there are many unviable. incomes in the Caucasus do not annual resource yields; ecosys- a large role in climate regulation, changes in the rich West could others counseling vigilance to There are other signs for hope. have so far to fall. Increasing pov- tem valuation is now a complex water cycles and weather patterns. have benefits for the global envi- ensure that environmental issues US President-elect Barack Obama erty levels in this region have very tool that ascribes prices to the The forests draw water inland ronment in improved emissions, are not forgotten in the economic has pledged to invest $150 bil- direct environmental effects such services provided by the system, from the Atlantic then release 20 resource use and new techno- panic. For countries in transition, lion into alternative energies, as illegal logging for fuel and in- from water purification and flood billion tonnes of water into the at- logy. There is opportunity here, as these risks may be even greater. supply 25% of America’s energy come. defence, to recreation and aesthe- mosphere every day, essential for well as trial; if governments in the “The risk consequences of ig- needs by renewables by 2025, and Likewise, governments and tics.