wfn.org | Reaction to Earth Summit +5

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
Eastern, about DAILY NEWS RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (189
notes).

Note 188 by UMNS on June 30, 1997 at 16:27 Eastern (3902 characters).

Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT:  Linda Bloom                       376(10-21-24-71B){188}
          New York (212) 870-3803                    June 30, 1997

Participants at U.N. meeting note
lack of progress on environmental issues

     UNITED NATIONS (UMNS) -- From European leaders to
representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to
activists, many participants at the June 23-27 Earth Summit +5
meeting here were critical of the lack of progress on
environmental issues.
     The special session of the United Nations was designed to
"review and appraise the implementation of Agenda 21" -- the
document designed to put into action the pledges made at the U.N.
Earth Summit five years ago in Rio de Janeiro.
     Progress on Agenda 21 -- which focuses on the integration of
environmental and development concerns to fulfill basic needs,
improve living standards for all, and better protect and manage
ecosystems -- has been monitored by the U.N.'s Commission on
Sustainable Development.
     But the countries that made commitments are still arguing
about the text instead of taking action, according to Liberato
Bautista, an assistant general secretary with the United Methodist
Board of Church and Society.
     Bautista, who is based at the Church Center for the United
Nations, believes the text is strong enough already to "warrant
real action" on climate change and other issues.
     Criticism over the lack of such action emerged again and
again during the week, with the United States being fingered as a
prime offender.
     On June 23, leaders of the European Union, led by British
Prime Minister Tony Blair, detailed how the world has fallen short
of goals set at Rio, according to the New York Times. They said
the United States is not aggressive enough in seeking steep
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
     A June 25 press conference, of which Bautista was a part,
echoed charges that the U.S. government has failed to implement
Agenda 21 and has not demonstrated a real commitment to the
concept of sustainable development.
     The idea of a sustainable community is that "development
cannot be for its own sake," Bautista said. "Development is never
just until it addresses hunger and poverty."
     Denise O'Brien, a United Methodist and Iowa farmer who spoke
to the General Assembly on June 26 (See UMNS release no. 375 CWN
{187}), also served as a "private sector advisor" at the summit
and helped host the sustainable agricultural caucus every morning.
     "There was a general sense of frustration through the whole
week that the negotiations weren't getting done," she said. "The
assessment was that we had regressed rather than progressed since
Rio."
     O'Brien added that participants also sensed a lack of
leadership and financial support from developed countries and
noted the clash between economic growth and sustainable
development had not yet been resolved. Transnational corporations,
she said, also remain outside the process.
     Still, as an insider at the meeting, O'Brien said she did
find that the U.S. negotiators were concerned individuals doing
their best. "Their parameters were set by the president and the
vice president," she explained. "Given those limitations, they did
what they could."
     In his June 26 speech before the General Assembly, President
Clinton discussed the dangers of global warming but stopped short
of making a commitment to cut the greenhouse gases that contribute
to global warming.
     Bautista said his agency now will work "for a more directed
approach to what Agenda 21 says should be done" and will encourage
local churches, as well as the U.S. government to adhere to its
plan of action.
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