Views from civil society on the 10 year framework

4. Other thoughts?

Other thoughts, observations or suggestions for how to ensure the most productive and useful outcomes from the next CSD cycle?

Peter Adriance, Baha'is of the U.S.

• Draw more upon religious and indigenous groups to share their values and experience in moderating consumption.
  
  
• Foster increased dialogue between various players.

Rajan Gandhi, SAG (India)

What CSD 18 must strive for is commitments from Governments to firm and quantifiable targets – there is far too much of “attempts”, “striving to achieve” etc.

Secondly, the developed world must realise that it can’t have its cake  and eat it too.  The West no longer manufactures most products other than food) that it consumes – industrial production has been hived off to China, India etc who are then targeted for contributing excessively  to emissions and climate change.

I disagree with the whole idea of “de-growth” or slowing down consumption in the West.  This will cause un-necessary pain to Western consumers while depriving millions of people in the developing (and manufacturing) countries of their jobs.  The world needs a “different” growth paradigm, where goods are designed to be recyclable, consuming minimal additional resources and energy.  Massive investments in technology will need to be made if such a paradigm is to be realised, and the technology must be freely transferred to those countries which are doing the manufacture on behalf of the consuming countries.

Ke Chung Kim, Ph. D., Dipl.-ABFE
Professor of Entomology and Curator Emeritus, Frost Entomological Museum, Department of Entomology;
Director Emeritus, Center for BioDiversity Research, PSIEE, The Pennsylvania State University

Build sufficient funding for inviting “unorthodox” scientists, scholars, practioners at the grassroots, as well as social and political leaders from many different countries.

Do not build the timely programs on aesthetics, religion, and political factors.

Build consensus program on the reality of biodiversity loss that is tied to everyday life of all people at the grassroots.

Bas de Leeuw, The Sustainability Institute

As NGO’s prepare joint statements, backed up by solid scientific support, based upon system dynamic modeling and systems thinking. Goal: somehow track progress in the global deal, like this was done at the Climate Change negotiations with the Climate Scoreboard. Without common quantitative goal negotiations will not be very effective, since negotiators do not really know what it is they are negotiating about.

Leonard Sonnenschein, World Aquarium

• Sustainable land use is critical to biodiversity and habitat loss. 
  
  
• Alternate livelihood options for people who rely on the environment for their food.
  
  
• Purchasing of local organic foods
  
  
• Buying sustainable products

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