UN Asks for Changes in Global Production, Consumption
United Nations, May 3. -The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development on Tuesday begins preparations for the 2012 Earth Summit, Rio+20.
The work of the commission, which will last two weeks, started with a strong warning about the threats posed by current consumption and production patterns to ecosystems and their capacity to support life.
The warning was issued by the UN under-secretary general for Economic and Social Affairs, Sha Zukang. He called for drawing up a plan to promote more efficient, safer use of natural resources.
"We need to change our patterns so that economies operate based on sustainability and can face environment challenges," the official stated.
The current situation is marked by the impact of gases of greenhouse effects over the climate, the increasing number of endangered species, high deforestation rates, and decreased fishing reserves, Sha said.
She advocated the drawing up of an ambitious plan this year to support countries and other actors advance towards sustainable production and consumption patterns, to be presented at the Rio+20 Conference.
The preparatory committee is composed of 53 countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Uruguay and Venezuela for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The main issues at the Rio+20 meeting will be green economy within the context of sustainable development and the eradication of poverty and an institutional framework for sustainable development. (Prensa Latina)
