The Big Three of the 21st Century--Food, Energy and Water

Here at the beginning of the 21st century, the challenges are clear: the growing population is stressing the Earth's resources to the breaking point. The "big three" are Food, Energy and Water--whose initials ominously spell FEW. Looming shortages make human misery more likely as time passes without finding solutions. Will the 21st Century be known as the Century of Scarcity? Or will we find new technical, political and economic approaches to free humanity from want and discontent?

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Saturday, May 26, 2012

The scarcity summit

In about a month, world leaders and major group representatives will gather in Rio de Janeiro for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development.. One hopes that more will come out of it than, say, the 2009 Copenhagen conference on climate change.

The Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, has laid out goals for the sustainability conference. His "top level" goals:
  • Inspire new thinking and action
  • Be about people--a people's summit that offers concrete hope for real improvements in daily lives
  • Waste not

Within these are some very specific goals. Some of them address the "big three" resource challenges of food, energy and water. Along with them are economic development, environmental and fairness goals.

FOOD
  • zero stunting of children's growth (the supplements to make this happen are affordable and easily distributed)
  • zero waste of food
  • zero waste of agricultural inputs
ENERGY
  • advance the Sustainable Energy for All initiative
  • doubling of energy efficiency by 2030
  • doubling of the use of renewable sources by 2030
WATER
  • protect our sources of water
I have to admit to being disappointed in the lack of concrete goals for water. Nevertheless, I recommend reading the Secretary General's opinion piece. I will be following and reporting on progress in Rio.

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