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President George Bush,
Ten years ago, your father attended the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, concerned with the earth’s environment. Five years ago, President Clinton attended the Rio +5 meeting in Kyoto. Today, it is your turn to participate in the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
We have indicated below that, in the strongest terms possible, we support the civil society Call To Action. We request that you attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa from the 26th of August to the 4th of September.
You have a choice to lead the United States and the rest of the world to protect and enhance our environment – or continue to harm the environment with voluntary standards and broken promises. Demonstrate American leadership in environmental management and restoration today by attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
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Civil Society "Call for Action"
February 22, 2002
Nearly a decade ago, President George H. W. Bush and the leaders of more than 100 other nations made this commitment at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This Earth Pledge was a recognition of the importance of the environment to our own well-being and of our common responsibility to protect it. Today, following the September 11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath we are even more aware of our global interdependence and vulnerability. While we must respond to the immediate threats to our national security, we must also work to assure environmental security for all of Earth's people.
Next September, the world's leaders will gather in Johannesburg, South Africa to address once more the intertwined problems of environmental protection, social equity and economic development. The World Summit on Sustainable Development could be a watershed event where our leaders set out a vision and commit to concrete actions for a brighter future. Mr. President, you have shown tremendous determination in forging a broad international coalition against terrorism. We now call upon you to declare your intent to attend the Johannesburg Summit and to join in partnerships with other nations to address the environmental challenges threatening our long-term well-being and security.
In Rio, world leaders set out Agenda 21 -- a blueprint for moving the world to sustainable development -- and agreed upon two treaties to protect the earth's atmosphere and its biological riches. Since then, we have made progress on many fronts. Many countries have created new institutions and adopted laws and policies to promote sustainable development and have taken concrete actions to protect the environment, improve social equity, and strengthen governance and human rights.
At the same time, globalization has emerged as a major force. While actions to reduce barriers to trade and investments have stimulated economic growth, there are deep concerns about the uneven distribution of these economic gains among and within countries, the growing pressure on natural resources, and increasing pollution. The failure to address these tensions provides the impetus for unrest, social conflict and violence.
The environmental challenges identified in Rio remain and are even more urgent today. More than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water and more than one billion urban residents breathe polluted air. Two billion people lack adequate energy supplies to meet their needs. We emit ever-growing volumes of carbon dioxide that alter the Earth's climate. About 75 percent of the world's fisheries have been exploited at or beyond their capacity. Over 11,000 plant and animal species face a high risk of extinction. Globally, from 1990 to 2000, at least 90 million hectares of forests were lost -- a trend that continues unabated. Traces of toxic chemicals are now found in human and animal tissue around the globe. The most vulnerable to these and other environmental threats are the poor.
World leaders must act now to reverse these trends and close the gap between governments' promises and on-the-ground realities. The Johannesburg Summit must be different than many past UN gatherings. It should be a forum where governments and other stakeholders feel compelled to put forward more precise commitments and measures -- initiatives that will make a real difference.
Mr. President, we ask you to declare now that you will attend the Johannesburg Summit. We urge you to provide an example for other nations by announcing at the Summit the specific actions you have taken and will take to reassert the importance of protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development, including to:
* ratify and implement the major environmental treaties forged at Rio and thereafter;
* reduce United States emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming pollutants;
* stimulate development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies;
* protect critical land and marine ecosystems;
* provide increased financial and diplomatic support to strengthen international environmental institutions and structures;
* reform international trade and financial institutions and export credit agencies, and establish adequate safeguards to protect communities and the environment;
* eliminate subsidies that cause overfishing, halt destructive fishing practices, and enforce controls on ocean pollution;
* support expedited development of a strategic approach to international chemicals management that is coordinated, coherent, and environmentally sound;
* increase U.S. assistance to developing countries to protect their environments and the global environment; and
* defend the fundamental democratic rights of citizens and communities around the world to protect the resources on which their lives and livelihoods depend.
We live in the richest and most powerful nation in the world, and we have an enormous impact on the global environment. Thus, we have a special responsibility to act. Your global leadership -- so apparent in response to the events of September 11th -- is critical if we are indeed to make the Earth a secure and hospitable home for present and future generations. |
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For a complete of organizational and individual signatories, visit http://www.wfa.org/issues/wssd...
Endorsing Organizations included, among others,
Natural Resources Defense Council
Friends of the Earth
Earth Policy Institute
National Environmental Trust
Consumer's Choice Council
World Federalist Association USA
Worldwatch Institute
World Wildlife Fund
Redefining Progress
Earth Day Network
Rainforest Action Network
The Songbird Foundation
Environmental Defense
The Nature Conservancy
Pesticide Action Network North American Regional Center
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Center for Development of International Law
Greenpeace USA
Sierra Club
National Wildlife Federation
Power Shift
International Fund for Animal Welfare
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Oceana
Earth Day Network
ReNEWal Realty LLC
Children's Environmental Health Network
The Winslow Foundation
Natural Heritage Institute
The Woods Hole Research Center
Center for International Environmental Law |
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