Rich states 'must change consumption patterns'

Rich states 'must change consumption patterns'

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

Consumer International (CI), fighting for consumers' rights
worldwide, warned on Monday that the current consumption patterns
of northern hemisphere countries were not sustainable for the
earth's future and therefore demanded changes in those patterns.

While introducing a survey report on unsustainable consumption
here on Monday, CI President Louise Sylvan said the world needed
an improvement and a drastic shift in the consumption paradigm.

"The current unsustainable consumption of northern hemisphere
countries, which has become the role-model of the southern
hemisphere countries, is not suitable for our future," Sylvan
said.

She further underlined that the ignorance of world leaders
over consumption patterns had brought greater danger to the
earth's sustainability.

Sylvan said that the natural resources of the earth would not
be able to meet the demands of a growing proportion of the
population aspiring to a similar lifestyle.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) recently issued a report
saying that in the past 10 years the world had consumed one-third
of the earth's natural resources.

Moreover, WWF revealed that with the currently increasing
trend in fossil-fuel consumption, the world's reserves of energy
would be depleted within the next 25 years to 30 years.

Sylvan further cited that damaging consumption patterns were
not fully appreciated by world leaders, who were supposed to
impose stricter regulations on both consumption and production.

Article 4 of Agenda 21, agreed at the Earth Summit in Rio de
Janeiro in 1992, clearly stated the importance of changing
consumption patterns, but enforcement of the article has been
very weak ever since.

The UN also issued a guideline to support Agenda 21 that
required consumer protection by the year 2004.

The guideline, however, has yet to be considered as one of the
many factors to be taken into account by many countries when
developing consumer regulations.

According to the survey by CI in cooperation with the UN
Environment Program, 38 percent of 52 government respondents were
not aware of the existence of the guideline and 50 percent of the
respondents had not yet specifically measured their progress
towards sustainable consumption.

UNEP Assistant Executive Director Jacqueline Aloisi de
Larderel said, during the introduction, that partnerships between
government and business on consumption and production patterns
were badly needed.

She underlined that the partnerships would create a compromise
framework that could accommodate economic interests and
sustainable consumption.

There should be expanded use of the guidelines (Article 4 of
Agenda 21), not just for government regulations, but also for
other related parties, Larderel said.

However, special adviser on the environment to the Brazilian
President, Fabio Fieldman, said that the most important thing to
change consumption patterns would be the raising of public
awareness on effective consumption.

"Governments' lack of ability to deal with the issue has
placed consumers in a key position with regard to sustainable
consumption," Fieldman said.

He cited that the public should bring more pressure to bear on
governments and businesses in changing production and consumption
patterns.

"Giving more power to civil societies will be the right
measure to achieve meaningful changes in consumption patterns,"
Fieldman remarked.