During the COP15 summit at Bella Center I once again met with Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of The United Nations Environment Programme/UNEP (please see: http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2009/12/global-warning-from-melting-pot.html).
Achim Steiner appeared in the documentary film Hope In A Changing Climate by John D. Liu, film maker, environmental educator, writer, and speaker. Paradoxical News viewed the film on Thursday 17th in Copenhagen, presented by The Environmental Education Media Project/EEMP.
And on Friday at COP15 in Bella Center PN took the chance to ask Steiner about the various development programmes which included a reconstruction and development of the Loess Plateau earth terraces in China for the sustainability of the local population.
But how will projects like these make up for the coal production and CO2 emissions of China?
'This project was not necessarily intended to compensate for that. And let us remember that most countries did not know that they were incurring a problem of these planetary proportions when they went for fossil fueled power. So this was an ecosystem restoration project in order to deal with ecosystems, biodiversity, and livelyhood. But what we have said repetedly over the years in UNEP is that we must look at climate change and ecosystem loss in a connected way. In a systems perspective. Nature has perfected a process of carbon capture and storage over millions of years, in forrests, in peak lands, and in the oceans. Ecosystem stabilisation and restoration is part of dealing with carbon emissions and climate change, but it is also invested in the foundation of a productive landscape,' UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner explains.
Do you see the possibility, if making more development projects like this, that it will make China budge on the coal production and CO2 emissions?
'Not just China, every country can learn from these projects and should do more of them. I do not believe that China is by any means the only country that requires more investment in this,' Achim Steiner rounds up his argument about a comprehensive systems view.
So paradoxically sustainability is about more than looking into the weather report for answers. But rather taking an overall view on ecosystems, biodiversity, climate, food production, and livelyhood altogether. And they thought that COP15 was to be a quick fix!
Achim Steiner appeared in the documentary film Hope In A Changing Climate by John D. Liu, film maker, environmental educator, writer, and speaker. Paradoxical News viewed the film on Thursday 17th in Copenhagen, presented by The Environmental Education Media Project/EEMP.
And on Friday at COP15 in Bella Center PN took the chance to ask Steiner about the various development programmes which included a reconstruction and development of the Loess Plateau earth terraces in China for the sustainability of the local population.
But how will projects like these make up for the coal production and CO2 emissions of China?
'This project was not necessarily intended to compensate for that. And let us remember that most countries did not know that they were incurring a problem of these planetary proportions when they went for fossil fueled power. So this was an ecosystem restoration project in order to deal with ecosystems, biodiversity, and livelyhood. But what we have said repetedly over the years in UNEP is that we must look at climate change and ecosystem loss in a connected way. In a systems perspective. Nature has perfected a process of carbon capture and storage over millions of years, in forrests, in peak lands, and in the oceans. Ecosystem stabilisation and restoration is part of dealing with carbon emissions and climate change, but it is also invested in the foundation of a productive landscape,' UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner explains.
Do you see the possibility, if making more development projects like this, that it will make China budge on the coal production and CO2 emissions?
'Not just China, every country can learn from these projects and should do more of them. I do not believe that China is by any means the only country that requires more investment in this,' Achim Steiner rounds up his argument about a comprehensive systems view.
So paradoxically sustainability is about more than looking into the weather report for answers. But rather taking an overall view on ecosystems, biodiversity, climate, food production, and livelyhood altogether. And they thought that COP15 was to be a quick fix!