talks and papers do very little to change reality --Izael Pereira Da Silva

I found a great article. Check this out! 

Rio+20: Documents Aren't Useful if There's No Action

Izael Pereira Da Silva is an expert in Renewable Energy, Sustainable Development, Rural Electrification and Energy Efficiency. He is member of the Association of Energy Engineer in USA and of the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers. Today, he is Associate Professor at Makerere University (Uganda) and teaches also in the Strathmore Business School of Kenya.

His studies have taken him to Rio+20 Conference of last june, the Earth Conference that took place at Rio of Janeiro. He sums up his experiences.

How was the organization of Rio+20? 

Rio+20 was a very large conference with plenty of side events and pre-meetings conferences which, to my understanding, were way beyond the ability of a human being to consume. I found myself quite lost on the maze of dialogues, presentations, panels and show-events available. Another challenge was transport. Riocentre, the venue of the UN conference, was too far from downtown. We had 6 different routes with buses taking participants and it would always suppose more than one hour, sometimes two, traveling.

Which were your priorities in Rio+20?

I live in Africa and thus my geographical priority were the East African region in particular. In terms of technology my focus was renewable energy. In terms of organs in society I was there representing the Academia and thus I was concerned about capacity building, research and development, innovation and consultancy.

I think that unless Academia starts seriously working with Government and the Private Sector, no lasting and wide impact will be achieved.

You attended Renewable Energy, Water management, Sustainable Development... Could you give us some advice related with the sustainability suggested by Rio?

Everybody is talking about renewable energy. Whether the oil is going to get finished in the next 10, 50 or 100 years, I cannot tell, I see a movement towards solar, wind, small hydro and geothermal energies; as a welcome movement even if petrol is to stay there forever.

The challenge is still with the countries in Africa, India and South Asia, where 2 billion people are living very poorly because they have no access to modern types of energy and thus have problems to access income generating activities, health, education and communication services. I think Europe can help these 2 billion people and at the same time solve their current economic crisis by accessing this huge new market.

What do you think about the importance of Rio and his influence in society? 

The final non-binding document "The future we want", as Vatican Observer says, is 49 pages long with 283 paragraphs divided into six parts.

Rio+20 focused on issues previously announced and various priority areas including, among others, decent jobs, energy, sustainable cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans and disaster readiness.

As the Observer mentions elsewhere, it’s a non-perfect document which nonetheless can be useful to help the developing world and the developed one to work together towards a better future for the planet, our common home.

Do you think that Rio will be an impact to society and that can generate an active engagement?

Young people do what they see the old generation doing. I think they are offered now a more responsive role model and, generally, I see reasons for optimism.

One think though is important to mention: talks and papers do very little to change reality. Unless people start DOING things nothing will really change.

How would the leadership of the new generation for the sustainability be? 

Sustainability is a "catching" concept and I could see in Brazil how people on the streets were already trying to live in a more conscientious manner, having in mind the future generations and our responsibility of leaving the planet to them in a better shape.

Here in Kenya the Government has created a fund to support and reward initiatives on sustainable environment and the thing is catching fire.

I am thus optimistic about the future. The only issue to have in mind is that we need to tell our young people that the human person is meant to be the focal point of development and thus his/her dignity has to be preserved above any "right" of nature.

For those who didn`t attend Rio but develop a sustainable project related with youth, poverty, childhood and family. What could they do to take advantage of Rio?

That is simple! I dare say having attended Rio+20 was only important from a historical viewpoint. If people read the final document and do a bit of research on what the government of their specific country is doing (the ministry of environment, energy, water, etc), they will find plenty of initiatives to engage and make a positive contribution towards the future we want.

On a light note, for those who did not make it to Rio+20 and thus missed to enjoy the most beautiful city in the planet there is another chance next year as they can join Pope Benedict XVI on the World Youth Day and yet another in 2014 when they can attend the World Cup.

source: http://www.intermediaconsulting.org