The UNEP Magazine for Youth for young people · by young people · about young people The green economy Down to business The mobile revolution Tunza_9.4_Engv3.indd 1 05/03/2012 09:34 TUNZA the UNEP magazine for youth. To view current CONTENTS and past issues of this publication online, Editorial 3 please visit www.unep.org Welcoming the green economy 4 United Nations Environment Programme Yes we can! 6 (UNEP) PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya Going viral 7 Tel (254 20) 7621 234 Fax (254 20) 7623 927 Down to business 8 Telex 22068 UNEP KE E-mail [email protected] Plan A 8 www.unep.org Starting a new venture? 10 ISSN 1727-8902 Green enterprise in Africa 11 Director of Publications Nick Nuttall Editor Geoffrey Lean The mobile revolution 12 Special Contributor Wondwosen Asnake Power to the people 14 Youth Editor Karen Eng Nairobi Coordinator Naomi Poulton From metropolis to megalopolis 16 Head, UNEP’s Children and Youth Unit Theodore Oben Green feeding 18 Circulation Manager Mohamed Atani Living together 20 Design Edward Cooper, Ecuador Production Banson Create the change you want 21 Cover image Surbana Urban Planning Group www.surbana.com Seven innovations 22 Youth contributors Manuel Aguilar (Guatemala); Heal the world 24 Anna Collins (UK); Kevin Ochieng (Kenya); Angus Joseph (South Africa); Zhan Hong Low (Singapore); Nilza Matavel (Mozambique); Keep up with TUNZA on your mobile Patricio Mora (Chile); Sonali Prasad (India); http://tunza.mobi Tipti (India); Robert vanWaarden (Netherlands); Caroline Wambui (Kenya). or on Facebook Other contributors Mike Barry (M&S); Jane www.facebook.com/TUNZAmagazine Bowbrick; Jason Clay (WWF); Georgina Guillén (UNEP/Wuppertal Institute CSCP); Su Ka humbu (iCow); Annie Leonard (The Story of Stuff); Kamal Quadir (bKash); Fulai Sheng (UNEP); Wayne Talbot (Kingswood Consultation); Rosey Simonds and David Woollcombe (Peace Child International). Printed in Malta The contents of this magazine do not necessarily refl ect UNEP and Bayer, the German- Painting Competition on the the views or policies of UNEP or the editors, nor are they based multinational involved in Environment, the UNEP Tunza an offi cial record. The designations employed and the health care, crop protection International Youth and Children’s presentation do not imply the expression of any opinion and high-tech materials, are working Conferences, youth environmental whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status together to strengthen young networks in Africa, Asia Pacifi c, of any country, territory or city or its authority, or concerning people’s environmental awareness Europe, Latin America and the the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. and engage children and youth in Caribbean, North America and West environmental issues worldwide. Asia, the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Program and a photo UNEP promotes A partnership agreement, originally competition, ‘Ecology in Focus’, in environmentally sound practices globally and in its own activities. This signed in 2004 and renewed in 2007 Eastern Europe. magazine is printed on 100% chlorine-free and 2010, runs through 2013. It lays paper from sustainably managed forests, using down the basis for UNEP and Bayer The long-standing partnership between vegetable-based inks and other eco-friendly to implement the projects under the UNEP and Bayer has become a practices. Our distribution policy aims partnership. These include: TUNZA public-private partnership that serves to reduce UNEP’s carbon footprint. Magazine, the International Children’s as a model for both organizations. 2 TUNZA Vol 9 No 4 Tunza_9.4_Engv3.indd 2 05/03/2012 09:34 EDITORIAL he world’s media bombard us with news of a stalling world economy. A visit to the market Treminds us of rising food prices. Jobs are diffi cult to fi nd, especially if you are young. Then there’s the price of fuel and the increasing scarcity of those earth metals essential to your laptop, tablet and mobile. At the same time, we are told the world must ‘get back to growth’ – and many of us are assailed with demands to buy yet more stuff. But with ever more people in the world, doesn’t there seem to be a disconnect somewhere? The Ecological Footprint already suggests that we are using the resources of 1.5 planets to maintain current lifestyles – and for the majority, those lifestyles aren’t too great anyway. UNEP is suggesting a different way – a transition to a green economy. What does that actually mean? Well, numbers UNEP defi nes it as: ‘Improving human well-being and social equity, while signifi cantly reducing environmental • Nearly 40 per cent of the world’s 211 million unemployed risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, people – more than 80 million – are aged 15-24. a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource effi cient and socially inclusive’. Does • In developed countries, one in four of the long-term that sounds fairer? unemployed are youths. We must develop ways of accurately measuring our • The world economy has quadrupled over the last 25 impacts on the environment, then include the costs, like years, but 60 per cent of the world’s major ecosystem the cost of pollution, in the price we pay for what we use. goods and services have been degraded or used Facing these real costs will encourage us to reduce the unsustainably. environmental impact of production and consumption. A lot of people are already working on that, whether • In 2006, more than 2.3 million people worldwide were WWF’s work on sustainable production or Marks & working in the renewable energy sector. Spencer’s determination to introduce sustainability throughout its supply chain (pages 8-9). • Emerging economies’ share of global investment in renewables rose from 29 per cent in 2007 to 40 per cent Then there’s the need to reduce our dependence on in 2008 – primarily in Brazil, China and India. fossils fuels. Switching to renewables will involve major new infrastructure, creating jobs and requiring new • The recycling industry in Brazil, China and the USA alone skills. But there are also smaller, locally appropriate employs at least 12 million people. possibilities that encourage job creation at a level that enables us all to get involved. • Processing recyclable materials sustains 10 times more jobs than landfi ll or incineration (on a per tonne basis). New technologies will help, too. These are introducing less polluting, less resource-dependent ways of doing • Only 25 per cent of the world’s waste is recovered or things – from bringing products to market, transferring recycled. The world market for waste is worth around money and receiving payments, to raising money to $410 billion a year. fi nance your own new green project. • In Brazil, 95 per cent of all aluminum cans and 55 per UNEP believes that moving to a green economy cent of all polyethylene bottles are recycled, and half will enhance our efforts to achieve sustainability by of all paper and glass is recovered. This generates a improving human well-being and social equity, whilst value of almost $2 billion and avoids 10 million tonnes reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. of greenhouse gas emissions a year. Waste management Green growth is an opportunity to correct that dis- and recycling employ more than 500,000 people in Brazil. connect in ‘business-as-usual’. It involves all of us, and it is too important just to leave to governments. We all • Ecotourism has a 20 per cent annual growth rate, about have a part to play in our everyday lives, how we choose six times the rate for the rest of the sector. Travel and to spend our hard-earned money, what we discuss with tourism employ 230 million people – 8 per cent of the family and friends, and the messages we send, ahead of total global workforce. Rio+20, to the world’s politicians. Make your voice heard. The green economy 3 Tunza_9.4_Engv3.indd 3 05/03/2012 09:34 Welcoming the green economy WHAT is meant by ‘green economy’? growth, there will be no new jobs, and governments won’t You can look at it in two ways, either as an economy that have additional revenue to spend on essential health respects green principles and is concerned with fairness services, education and social safety nets. and inclusiveness, or as one which increasingly invests in environmental technologies such as renewable energy, and Growth is generated by investment. Traditionally, this has natural capital such as productive soil, forests and water focused on highways, automobiles, oil and gas, buildings, resources. Either way, consumer preferences for environ- manufacturing, logging, fi shing etc. A green economy mentally friendly, socially responsible goods and services will promotes different sorts of investment – in public transport, help drive investment decisions. low-carbon vehicles, renewable energy, green buildings, clean technologies, sustainable forestry and the restoration YOUTH unemployment is high – will the green economy of fi shery stocks. create more jobs or is the focus on new technologies? According to UNEP’s 2011 Green Economy report, investing WITH natural resources already under pressure, how can 2 per cent of global GDP – about $1.3 trillion currently – we sustain that growth? Do we have to think differently? each year until 2050 in the greening of 10 economic sectors Technological development could address some resource would provide more jobs in the medium and long term than constraints, while changes to the way society organizes ‘business-as-usual’. itself could also reduce such constraints. For example, the development of renewable energy is picking, up with the In some sectors – public transport and renewable energy cost of solar technology declining by around 7 per cent a for example – there’s likely to be an increase in jobs, but year, making it increasingly competitive.