Ethics for an ‘Ecological Civilisation’
TOKYO, Japan -- Leading Japanese ecologists are pushing for the concept of environmental "ethics" to influence the upcoming Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, an approach they contend will foster accountability towards sustainable development.
By Suvendrini Kakuchi, IPS
"(Environmental) ethics is based on the concept of making people accountable for the preservation of
natural resources and biodiversity. By highlighting this aspect, we aim to combat the priority on
economic growth that has hijacked previous Earth Summits," said Ryoichi Yamamoto, development
expert and professor emeritus at Tokyo University.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first United Nations summit on sustainable development, this
year’s conference, dubbed Rio+20, will negotiate on a transition to a green economy in an effort to
preserve the planet’s air, land, water and biodiversity.
But activists worry this crucial debate on the planet’s future will once again – as has been the case since
sustainable development was launched as a global issue in 1992 – focus too heavily on anti-pollution
technologies and the exploitation of natural resources in service of economic growth.
Such an approach, green activists say, has not adequately provided for protection of the planet’s scarce
natural resources and delicate ecosystems.
For example, over 100 countries agreed on an ambitious target to contain global warming to less than
two degrees Celsius, setting an emissions limit of 100 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide until 2050.
But the target is becoming impossible to reach— numerous studies indicate the world has already
emitted one-third of its allowed quota in the last nine years, especially since rising economies like India
and China have become major polluters.
In addition, despite economic growth rates of more than eight percent in countries such as China and
India, the poverty gap is also widening – the United Nations Human Development Index reports that life
expectancy, illiteracy and child mortality are almost seven times greater in China’s smaller towns than in
its big cities.
To combat this alarming trend, Yamamoto is leading a campaign to create an inter-governmental Ethics
Panel for Ecological Civilisation
(http://www.japanfs.org/en/mailmagazine/newsletter/pages/031788.html) as a special agency in the
United Nations. The proposal aims to strengthen institutional frameworks for sustainable development
through the collaboration of science, culture and religion.
He told IPS that excellent scientific research, evaluating ecosystems’ vulnerability to economic growth,
has provided ample knowledge to influence policy decisions.
"But what is missing is sustainable development based on the perspective of an ecological civilisation, a
civilisation that could exist in harmony with natural systems," he said.
The call for an ethical approach to finding solutions in Rio has gained momentum in Japan after the
massive natural disaster that hit the northeastern coasts of the country in March 2011.
Activists point out the earthquake and tsunami, which wiped out whole communities and caused a
meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that destroyed entire farming villages with toxic
pollution, has led to deep soul searching in Japan.
"The disaster has caused a review of Japan’s economic success. Despite high postwar growth the
disaster was a bitter lesson on the vulnerability of material riches and it convinced the public that
protecting the environment cannot take second place," Yamamoto said.
Indeed, public support for nuclear power has dipped drastically – almost 70 percent of the population
does not support restarting the nuclear reactors, which, up until the 2011 disaster, had been viewed as
the lynchpin of national development in resource-poor Japan.
Opinion polls indicate even the threat of power shortages in the summertime has done little to dent
public aversion to nuclear power.
Local efforts
Five years ago, Teruyuki Matsushita started the Donguri (Acorn) Club, a small grassroots organisation
that works to raise awareness about the role of forests in western Japan’s Mihama Prefecture, which is
also home to three nuclear reactors.
"My anti-nuclear work had reached a major challenge – to gain public support I had to show (people)
that our forests could also provide jobs that foster sustainable development. This is the reason why I
started the Donguri Club – we educate people and also make a living from logging and selling forest
products such as flowers," Matsushita explained to IPS.
The Donguri Club operates with just five full time staff, with volunteers working closely to support the
organisation. Matsushita says his work is pioneering new strategies for activists and ushering in support
for sustainable development.
At a time when more than half the world’s population works in agriculture, Takumo Yamada, from
Oxfam Tokyo, stressed that Rio+20 is a crucial platform to discuss alternatives to a system in which
multinational corporations set agendas that affect millions of farmers in developing countries.
"The discourse in Rio must not (be dominated) by rich companies that will parade high technology
products as the solution for governments that want to eradicate poverty and deal with energy issues,"
he told IPS.
"There must a paradigm shift in thinking at Rio+20. We must work at a global level on achieving
environmental justice, equality and sustainable goals," he said.
Published: 11.06.2012
Published by: Magne Ove Varsi
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