Partners
to Act Now's Pacific 20,000 Signatures Initiative Against Experimental
SeaBed Mining are in Rio de Janeiro attending various events to raise
the profile of the initiative. Maureen Penjueli, Coordinator of Pacific
Network on Globalization (PNG) from Fiji, talked at Major Groups press
briefing on 13 June at Rio+20.
"As a Pacific islander the Ocean plays an very important part of who we
are. The Ocean is part of our identity and culture and defines who we
are as Pacific islanders.
We are extremely concerned at how slow negotiations have progressed with many parts of the text still bracketed.
We urge officials to approach negotiations with a sense of urgency
given the complexities of threats faced by our oceans including impact
of climate change, overfishing, pollution, ocean acidification and
emerging new threats from experimental seabed mining. The impacts of
which include threatens our food soverignity, livelihoods which
disproportionately affect women and children in the Pacific.
We call for negotiators to address the structural changes that is
needed for implementation. To that end we support governments efforts
to push for UNCLOS to be given teeth to make it stronger to respond to
the complexities and challengers faced of the management of our Oceans.
We owe it to the next generation to leave behind a healthier ocean.
We are in a state of interconnected crises - financial and economic
crises, food and energy crises, the ecological crises including the
climate change crises and the resultant impact of growing inequality
within and between states which continues to disproportionately affect
women and children. It is clear that root cause of the crises is
clearly linked to an endless growth model.
There needs to be a clear acknowledgement in Rio of the root causes of
the crises. Unfortunately there seems to be no political will to
confront the endless growth model. The business as usual model is no
longer an option if we are to avert imminent disaster.
We need new narratives and alternatives that will offer a different
options for countries to consider how to best achieve sustainable
development. There are some governments present here that are
supportive of alternative forms and narratives including happiness and
well being indicators but there seems to be very little political space
to begin these forms of discussions. We have alternative forms of
economic models of development that can offer a new paradigm to respond
to our current realities and challengers. "
for information on this press conference, please visit: Earth Media Summit
for webcast Earth Media Summit webcast
Posted by Effrey
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