Friday, May 16, 2008

The Way Forward:

Open, Unscripted and Interactive

By: Ida Bergstrøm, Stakeholder Forum

‘I hope that by the end of this week we can have a set of policy options that are enriched by the inputs of the Major Groups’, said John Gormley, Ireland's Minister of Environment and head of the Irish Green Party.

‘I’m sure that you will be interviewed after your statement in the major groups bulletin’ said Vice Chair Sasa Odjanic, and waved our humble publication in front of a full audience in Conference room four. And rightly so.

But let’s turn our attention to the dialogue first. For it was here that magic happened. By now renowned for his positive attitude toward Major Groups participation, the Vice Chair, Mr Odjanic, had urged his audience from the outset to ‘speak without notes and from the heart’, and to try to ‘have a really lovely and open discussion with Major Groups’. ‘As you know, we need an enthusiastic and productive discussion’, he said. Cue Gormley, who embraced the concept wholeheartedly. Not only did he ask for policy outcomes, he genuinely praised Major Groups, and echoed NGO sentiments in stating we need to be careful about the introduction of GMOs in these times of crisis.

Said Mr Gormley, transcribed from the UN webcast on the CSD website, ‘the major groups make a very valuable contribution to the deliberation and outcomes at CSD. Their experiences and recommendations must inform the policy responses to the challenges identified in this review year.’

He referred to the NGO statement as ‘very sensible, practical and passionate’ (see full NGO statement on page 4), echoing its sentiment as he continued on the topic of GMOs and biofuels: ‘It is the case, I think, that some of the major corporations are using the food crisis as a justification for the introduction of GMOs, and there is no question about that. And if anything it could exacerbate the food crisis. (…) And in relation to biofuels chairperson, I think some of the contributions yesterday were very, very important. The contribution from Mauritius, where they stated very clearly that we need a strategic environment assessment of biofuel production. That’s the way that we can ensure environmental sustainability. And likewise I think the contribution from Norway where they’ve made it very clear that the UN itself should be mandated to develop international guidelines. So I hope that at the end of this week that we can agree on those particular guidelines. I think there is now a consensus developing in relation to this very, very important matter.’

And so to the interview. Minister Gormley reiterated his position on biofuels, saying we need to assess their sustainability, and put criteria in place.

He also warned us not to be too reliant on technology: 'We have to be careful about this emphasis on technology, in particular carbon storage. This is technology which is still in its infancy. I myself feel that if we rely too much on a technological fix, we’re going to be waiting around. Technolgical fixes often allows you to continue business as usual. It’s a dangerous game to play. It requires courage and commitment that isn’t there right now.’

Mr Gormley also called for a new seminal report á la the Brundtland report, to focus on the overarching issue of climate change, and warned us not to move to fast toward 2012 but rather ensure the right decisions are made in Copenhagen.

‘You have to look at the political reality. Brundtland and Rio lead to promises that were never fulfilled. Documents gather dust, the political establishment says that’s all very well, now we have to grow our economies. When Al Gore became Vice President, nothing happened. It’s true. He had all the right ideas, but the political reality determined otherwise. We need to make sure we get the result we want in Copenhagen, and not get ahead of ourselves about 2012.’

On a gloomier note, the Minister said he is not sure we will make it through. ‘I remember saying, in Berlin in 1995, that we were a bit like students that had been dancing and staying up before the night of an exam. That’s what we’ve done. And I really don’t know if this last gasp effort is going to be enough. Am I an optimist? I’m a realist. Will we be successful? I don’t know.’

‘But I live in hope’, he said. And after unscripted interaction like this, so do we.