Do we need to sacrifice the Environment in favor of Development? Maria Vitoraki, MSc DEREE Environmental Studies Program, CISD General Secretary
In the recent years It has become clear that sustainable solutions can not be achieved if we fail to integrate the three spheres of sustainability: Environment, Society and Economy. Sustainable solutions are based on the design and implementation of economic activities that benefit both society and environment!
For a long time, Environment has been ignored or at least considered as an obstacle to development by the Greek political system and the Greek society. We have not achieved to manage our natural resources (water, land, ecosystems) in a way that protects them in the long term. This false strategy has not only contributed to environmental degradation but has also accelerated the outbreak of the current crisis. For instance, the false model of solid waste management has created several hundred open dumps with direct 1
impacts on environmental quality, human health, and an indirect economic cost that must be bared by the citizens. Today many citizens- especially those that are involved in the environmental movement - are convinced that the crisis may lead to irreversible environmental damage, in other words the environment is likely to be sacrificed in order to stimulate economic growth. Many environmentalists, members of NGO's, local citizens movements claim that in the recent three years there is a clear trend for loosening environmental regulations in favor of investments that have been proven unsustainable. In these years several policies that disregard the environment have been introduced, for example the fast track legislation, the legalization of non-licensed buildings, the collapse of the Green Fund. As they say, these policies have one overall goal: to collect more money for the public fund. Environmentalists oppose to mining activities in Greece, not only on the grounds of environmental degradation but also because of their “minimal benefit for the local communities and economies�. They also oppose to the exploitation of fossil fuel deposits with the same arguments. Are they correct? In a country like Greece where unemployment rates have exploded to 27% and still increasing, do we have the luxury to reject the exploitation of mineral (nonrenewable) resources and other activities that may have a significant ecological impact? On the other hand, can we ensure that such activities will not result in open wounds to the environment (undermining our capacity to shift to greener activities) and
will
also
bring
clear
benefits
for
our
economy
and
the
society?
These are some questions of major importance and the correct answers are not so obvious!
Shifting to a green economy is a difficult roadway, not straightforward as many believe!
Compromises may be necessary, exactly for the benefit of our environment, because poverty and unemployment may ultimately lead to more rapid and uncontrolled
environmental degradation (see the example of illegal logging and burning of biomass this winter which caused an explosion of atmospheric pollution in urban areas and damaged our forests). Our society has to respond quickly to the new challenges and plan carefully for a better future. The answers to the above questions require a multidisciplinary approach and the problems must be tackled at all levels. Citizens can play a more creative role, by participating,
questioning,
demanding
but
also
restructuring
policies
for
sustainability.
A number of citizens initiatives has grown in Greece in the last three years: Cooperatives for sustainable agriculture, for the production of high quality and environmentally sound food products, for the management of solid waste with reuse and recycling based on source separation systems, for the use of forest biomass to produce biofuels, for sustainable tourism services, for innovative products for the energy efficiency in buildings and transportation and so on... This level of wealth of innovation and creativity that is present in the Greek society may become a powerful tool that could drive us out of the crisis and provide a basis for a more sustainable future.