The 6 minute speech given by Severn Suzuki, who spoke at the 1992 Rio Summit at 12 years old. The speech was a written from contributors from all over the Globe.
Severn Suzuki Unifies World Vision for Sustainable Future at Rio+Social – YouTube.
After yesterday’s council meeting on Steady State Economy, I am saddened to read the Green Alliance recommending the views of this writer. Like yesterdays meeting, it is all about ‘Growth’, not about living within our means.
This is a guest post by Paul Polman, chief executive of Unilever. It is an extract from his contribution to a collection of writings about the Earth Summit, Rio+20: where it should lead, published by Green Alliance and the RSPB.
These are turbulent times for the world and for the business community, addressing this requires governments and business to work together to create the right framework for sustainable development at Rio+20.
We need to find a new model of growth, one that is equally conscious of the need of people and of the planet, and puts sustainability and equality at the heart of consumption. Sustainable growth must benefit the world’s hungriest billion people as well as the rising middle classes.
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Manchester City Council’s Environmental Scrutiny Committee Meeting.
This morning I attended a Environmental Scrutiny Committee meeting, where the public were invited to attend. Some of the committee members appeared pleased that a number of the public were their, with some of public putting forward short presentations. Bot when the Council’s economic advisers gave their presentation, my heart dropped. They were advocating ‘business-as-usual’, even though this is the cause of our present financial crisis. Also a councillor dismissed the importance of local food production, stating he wanted his electorate to stop smoking and drinking. He obviously does not understand, this is due to the inequalities of the present system and their lack of empowerment.
And in the workshop I attended, once again a councillor argued that the airport was low carbon, as the emissions did not affect Manchester but were felt elsewhere. And it was best the expanded Manchester Airport, because if aviation went elsewhere it would not be a low carbon as that of Manchester Airport. The attitude of some of the councillors are totally blinkered, they cannot see the real damage the airport is doing to Manchester and the surrounding area. And things will get worse with the building of the by-pass, so motorist can get to the airport faster instead of using public transport. These views were reinforced by Richard Leese, he even decided that one of the action points would not be Manchester’s but AGMA’s (Association of Greater Manchester Authorities).
It would appear the council leadership have not taken any notice of the mass of information on the unsustainability of ‘business-as-usual’. Someone from AGMA, when someone said the council needed to show leadership, said Richard Leese had showed leadership because he gave a speech! This is not leadership, in fact Richard Leese, is very good at saying the council is not responsible for this, they cannot do this or that. He does not show leadership, but is a bully boy who wants to get his own way no matter what others think.
It is a pity this video from the European Environmental Agency was not available to show them. Though, I doubt it would make much difference to the likes of Richard Leese
UN Live United Nations Webcast – – Sustainable development for fighting poverty – Sustainable Development Dialogues, Rio+20
A web-cast from Rio+ about sustainability, most of the others available so far are about corporates. As well as the young female who silenced the World when she gave a speech 20 years ago being present. A Mr Supe was on the panel and his message was, ‘Small farm, Small farm, Small farm. He pointed out that $275 Billion of subsidies went into fertilisers and pesticides. While a couple of reports one by Julius Protina and another by the FAO, highlighted how sustainable farming practices using old methods were more productive than intensive farming. And it was through assisting these small farmers not corporations was the only way ahead. His comments come about 50 minutes in.
A very good article pointing out the obvious negative impacts of biomass incineration. A cheap and antiquated technology being pushed by politicians and big business as being ‘green’, it is not.
‘People Will Die’ – The End Of The NHS. Part 1: The Corporate Assault
I thought I would re-blog this article on the dismantling of the National Health Service in the UK. An end to universal care in the UK especially for the poor. We are becoming more like the US, where only those rich enough to have private medical insurance receive appropriate medical care.
‘People Will Die’ – The End Of The NHS. Part 1: The Corporate Assault.
And part two is about the British Broadcasting Company’s lack of news coverage of the privatisation and dismantling of the NHS. How the BBC is no longer an objective news broadcaster, but one that appears to broadcast ‘newspeak’.
‘People Will Die’ – The End Of The NHS. Part 2: Buried by the BBC.
Finding the truth behind Shell’s public relations campaign for Arctic drilling | Climate Connections
I thought I would share this very informative article about Shell.
Finding the truth behind Shell’s public relations campaign for Arctic drilling | Climate Connections.
Manchester City Council to axe head of planning post
This article from Planning, is about the shake of the highly paid jobs in Manchester City Council. It is a pity, this was not done the other year, instead of axing funding for Youth Services and Sure-Start.
Manchester City Council to axe head of planning post.
Manchester City Council is to abolish its £70,002 a year head of planning post, one of a host of high-ranking roles that the local authority says will save more than £1 million a year.
Peter Babb, head of planning and building control, is to take early retirement, the council said. The role will be discontinued.
The council said that further cuts to its planning services would also be made. In a report published last week, the council said it anticipated “further management changes” to its planning services that would result in “further savings”. These proposals are expected to be debated by the council’s personnel committee, made up of six officers and headed by chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein, in June. Further details were not available at the time of writing.
Steve Mycio, the £138,066 a year deputy chief executive (regeneration), is to also leave as part of a shake-up of the local authority’s planning and regeneration services. The post is to be abolished. Responsibility for economic development and regeneration, will fall under the remit of the assistant chief executive (regeneration), who will report directly to the chief executive.
The £120,894 a year post of strategic director of transformation, currently held by Elaine Bowker, is also being discontinued. The strategic director of transformation’s functions will be integrated into the role of deputy chief executive (performance).
The council said that the new “corporate core” of the council, comprised of the chief executive, city treasurer, city solicitor, director of communications and deputy chief executive (performance), would be in place from 12 April. Planning understands that the incumbent deputy chief executive Geoff Little will continue in this role.
Last month the council published its proposed budget for 2011/12, setting out how it intended to make £109 million of cuts over the next financial year, rising to £170 million in 2012/13.
Some of the reason we need a Robin Hood Tax
Our elected leaders, Conservative, Liberal-Democrats and Labour vilify those on benefits, whilst the Green Party campaigns for a ‘people’s wage’ and a ‘Robin Hood Tax’. The three main parties refuse to tackle the real problem, tax-havens and tax avoidance by the rich. Below are some links to more information on the subject of tax-havens and avoidance and the massive loss of revenue to the UK which pales into insignificance ‘benefit fraud’:
Biogas, the Forgotten Free Renewable Energy | ecogreen4us
I have mentioned over the years the benefits of Bio-digesters, the fact they produce methane whilst also providing nitrogen rich fertiliser. Other countries have embraced this technology, even in the poorest parts of South America. There, households are providing themselves with cheap energy from their own organic waste.
But in the UK, they prefer to invest in incineration of waste and biomass (mostly from imported wood), which emits CO2, particulates (dust). Addition waste incineration emits dioxins, furans and other pollutants.
I have put forward several options for bio-digester plants to Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Councillor for the Environment. But, I am always rebuffed with why the council will not invest in bio-digesters. One of the reasons is the Viridor, who took over the waste management services were supposed to incorporate Anaerobic Digester plants at their waste treatment plants for organic waste. But I have not heard or found any evidence that these plants are operational.
I did alert Nigel Murphy to a project in Glasgow where the residents food waste went into In-Vessel composting units. Thus avoiding CO2 from transportation of the waste and providing compost for a community garden. I mentioned that instead of just composting the food waste, use it to produce energy as well. But the Council does not seem to be interested in investing for the long term future, but only in the short term profits of developers.
patricktsudlow 