International Conference on Environment and
Humanity
Eco Revolution - 2012
Colombo Declaration
We, the religious dignitaries, academics, professionals, scientists, researchers, artistes and civil society leaders, having met in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 19th and 20th of August 2012,in the International Conference on Environment and Humanity "Eco Revolution - 2012" organised by Sadaham Sewana (Sri Lanka) and Eco Needs Foundation in collaboration with Ministry of Environmental and Forest Sri Lanka , Ministry of Power and Energy Sri Lanka in the chairmanship of ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero and convener Prof. Priyanad Agale wish to emphasize that we can no longer afford to delay measures to combat environmental degradation that triggers climate change and do here by express our firm commitment for the promotion of an economically, socially, culturally and environmentally sustainable future for our present and future generations.
We observe that 50% of forests cover on
earth has already been depleted, crop diversity has been reduced by 75% and
annually some 2 million hectares of cropland get degraded. As a result
desertification of earth is happening at an alarming rate. Further we observe
with distress, that the rivers and other water bodies that form the blood veins
of the mother earth are disturbed by unprecedented proportions due to the direct
pollution of rivers.
We foresee that due to scarcity of
resources the global fossil oil, gas and coal production and consumption will
reach the peak before the end of this decade. The carbon emissions need should
witness a drop during this decade if the man is to limit the global warming to
2 degrees centigrade.
We maintain that all these indicators are
proof that consumerism based modern development model is longer sustainable and
hence shifting away from the modern development paradigm is mandatory.
We note that the current economic
development model, backed by globalization, while improving the consumption
level of the poor however also increases the consumption levels of the rich by
many folds. We stress that this never ending vicious growth of consumerism is totally
detrimental to the sustenance of 'Mother Earth' and it is soon to be
constrained by scarcity of resources.
We recognize that the growing
consumerism has, instead of making the man satisfied, has left him totally
disillusioned with the never ending 'wants' making him depressed and giving
rise to mental diseases plaguing the well- being of the entire human race.
We acknowledge that there have been
various efforts made at international level during the last four decades or so through
initiatives like Stockholm, Rio, Kyoto, and Copenhagen conferences underscoring
the international community’s realization that it does see the gravity of the dire
situation. We however note that the international community has failed to take solid
steps in the right direction to resolve the key issues. We emphasize that the
motive behind these conferences should be ethical and honourable and that the
international community should realize and recognize the power of the common
man to mobilize movement towards environmental conservation. We realize that there
is no strong platform at present to coordinate the efforts of the common man.
We firmly believe that the human
civilization has reached the end of industrial era and therefore alternative
development path ways should be envisioned, pilot tested, demonstrated and
mainstreamed during this transitional era.
We recognize that eradicating poverty and
protecting the vulnerable groups are of utmost importance.
We reiterate that the rich has already
occupied the ecological space of the poor and therefore has a historical
responsibility and also duty bound to scale down consumerism. We recognize that
the rich is indebted to poor on environmental terms and in order to repay it,
it is necessary for the developed world to support the developing world to
develop their sustainable development related infrastructure. An international
taxation scheme must be imposed on those who consume super luxuries and
comforts and the revenue from the tax system must be spent on upgrading and
ensuring the living standard of the poor and the vulnerable groups.
We maintain that the world needs to
find a new mechanism for spiritual development, which leads to altruism, to get
rid of the habit of consumerism which was developed over the years especially
after the industrial revolution. We stress that international laws be
introduced to reject commodities such as tobacco and alcohol that are harmful
to human race.
We maintain that it is not advisable
for the developing world to ape western development models due to an assortment
of reasons, mainly scarcity of resources, environmental constraints and more
importantly its unwholesome character that leaves the man totally disenchanted.
We emphasize that the strength of Asia in formulating the alternative
socio-economic theories should lie on the 'middle path' advocated by eastern
philosophies including Hinduism and Buddhism and this should go hand in hand
with the cultural heritage of each nation.
We firmly believe that eastern
philosophy and religion, though have currently been undermined by capitalism,
can play a crucial role in developing and cultivating eco-friendly lifestyles
among the public. We recognize Sri Lanka has been traditionally a Buddhist
country, and important features of the Buddhist culture like respect for
natural surroundings have helped preserve rivers and other natural resources to
a greater extent. Thereby Sri Lanka has the potential to be a role model in
sustainable development for the developing world and also ability to influence the
international policy makers.
We urge nations across the globe to
explore the possibilities of mutual aid and interaction when facing modern day global
challenges and avoid competing with each other for resources.
We suggest that the United Nations
should establish and maintain “an international fund for spiritual development”
to help change man’s thinking and habit patterns through aesthetically advanced
forms of art and literature. We propose that an International Monetary Organization
be established to secure eco-friendly commercial ventures for the promotion of sustainable
agriculture, renewable energy and other modes of energy efficiency, herbal
medicine and other forms of eco-friendly enterprises.
We, the religious dignitaries,
academics, professionals, scientists, researchers, artistes and civil society
leaders while recognizing that we lag far behind our deadlines to save planet
earth yet commit ourselves to take an initiative to mobilize and integrate the
common man and researchers through the establishment of International Society
of Eco Revolution to embark on a new journey for a sustainable future to save
the human race.
