Policy makers pledge to adopt sustainable methods at TERI DSDS 2012

TERI-DSDS

Policy makers pledge to adopt sustainable methods at TERI DSDS 2012


By Greentech Lead Team:
Global leaders and policy makers from across 29 countries pledged to protect
the global commons and adopt sustainable methods on the final (3rd) day of TERI
DSDS 2012.

The Global Challenge for Resource Efficient and Low Carbon Development will be
the theme for TERI DSDS 2013. This was unveiled at the valedictory session of
DSDS 2012.

The TERI DSDS 2012 had representatives from all six continents – North America,
South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The participants, delegates and
speakers were from both developed and developing countries.

“The Delhi Sustainable Development Summit is a very important platform, and
this year’s theme highlighted the over-exploitation of the earth’s commons,
which is cumulative result of decades of growth and development with serious
impacts on our ecosystems. We, therefore, owe it to generations yet to come,
and the underprivileged of this generation to see that we bring about a major
shift in priorities and rejuvenation of resources which have been depleted. We
at TERI have been established with clearly defined objectives of addressing
some of the ecological and environmental problems that we see at the global level
not only through our own research but also in our own practice,” said RK
Pachauri, director general, TERI.

“We believe that the theme this year is particularly important in the light of
the major event scheduled to be held in Rio in June at which the global
community would not only review the progress and the lack of it since 1992, but
also set directions for the future,” Pachauri added.

India has a very important role to play in sustainable development not just for
its own people but for the rest of the world too. We at TERI believe what we
are doing is obviously of relevance to the whole of humanity and not just to
India. I believe India really has to be in the lead in setting an agenda and
creating a framework of sustainable development not only is good for our people
but be a beacon light for the rest of the world, according to Pachauri.

The three-day long summit was inaugurated by Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister,
India. Present at the TERI DSDS 2012 inaugural ceremony were Tarja Halonen,
president, Finland, James Alix Michel, president, Seychelles, Anote Tong,
president of the Republic of Kiribati, Bharrat Jagdeo, former president, Guyana
and Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway and member of the UN
Secretary General’s Sustainability Panel, Norway. Arnold Schwarzenegger,
founding chair, R20 – Regions of Climate Change and Former Governor of
California, Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy,
Government of India, and Jayanthi Natarajan, Minister of State for Environment
and Forests, Govt. of India was also present at the occasion.

The summit this year was represented by political leaders and ministers from
Australia, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Canada, Congo, Ethiopia, Finland,
Germany, Guyana, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal,
Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Poland, Quebec, Seirra Leone,
Seychelles, U.K., Uganda, U.S.A. and India, including Nobel laureate Elinor
Ostrom and several distinguished business leaders.

DSDS 2012 also had a total of 16 special events including the World CEO
Sustinability Summit which drew participation from 90 CEOs and corporate
representatives, 40 government representatives and 50 institutional / NGOs. The
overall focus of the CEO Summit was “Doing Business: While Protecting the
Global commons”. This was organized by TERI BCSD in association with WBCSD. The
two panel discussion at this summit delved into business challenges and
opportunities while protecting the global commons.

The 3rd day of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2012 (DSDS) began with
a ministerial session on ‘Preserving the Global Commons’. The ministerial
session discussed ways in which the global commons can be preserved in the face
of challenges. They also discussed about methods that need to be adopted to
preserve the global commons.

In the session New Frontiers in Combating Climate Change, esteemed panelists
discussed new sustainable ways such as renewable energy and clean technology
that would help counter climate change. Creative and practical ways were looked
into to address the problems of climate change and address the issue.
Day 3 also saw an exchange of ideas on Clean Energy, dialogue on how to
overcome the divide between Global North and South and discussions on Century
of Knowledge.

The special events at the sidelines of DSDS 2012 covered a wide array of topics
including Women in Green Economy, Regional Rollout of the ‘Sustainable Energy
for All’ Year, Clean and Green cities, Water commons, YUVA Meet, Mountain Ecology,
Biodiversity and the like.


[email protected]