Green Economy: Promises And Pitfalls
Date: Fri Feb 03, 2017 - Fri Feb 03, 2017
Location: Asian Confluence Centre, Shillong , Hosts: Asian Confluence
Location: Asian Confluence Centre, Shillong , Hosts: Asian Confluence
Asian Confluence invited Ms. Barbara Unmüzig, President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Germany to deliver a talk on ‘Green economy’ and its ramifications throughout the world. Special emphasis was laid on the preservation of biodiversity and protection of the livelihood of communities in the state of Meghalaya.
Ms. Unmüzig brought the audience’s attention to the fact that not every aspect of established concepts of institutional green economy players was ethically and socially correct. “Green economy does not imply grabbing or destroying people’s land and livelihood to preserve and protect the planetary bio-diversity. Neither does capitalizing green economy to use it as a platform for corporate profiteering makes any sense,” she said. She opined that people and communities should be included in the policy making stages of sustainable green economy business channels. She countered the fact that the Global North is historically responsible for the state of climate change by saying that no apologies could bring back the pristine planet that existed before the emergence of the fossil fuel economy. However, as an advocate of green economy, she requested the developing and emerging countries not to repeat the same colossal blunder of the North and further the damage that has already been made for the sake of the future generations.
The event deliberated on the need for adopting the right construct of Green economy which sustains the ecosystem not at the cost of people, but by exploring various alternatives. The occasion was graced by the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr. Mukul Sangma, who in his speech emphasised the significance of Meghalaya’s natural resources, and the need for participation of the people in decision-making processes. Dr. Sangma spoke about the fascinating sustainable value chain attributes of the bamboo in Meghalaya – from flooring to vinyl, and from utensils to handicrafts, as an example in the case for sustainable green economy.
