Rio+20: Cities

Two Italian friends are at home now! They come from Firenze (Toscana). I’ve already been three times in Firenze and I really like it. One day, I’ll make a post with photos and useful information about this marvellous Italian city.

And now, let’s start with the post: cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more. At their best, cities have enabled people to advance socially and economically.

However, many challenges exist to maintaining cities in a way that continues to create jobs and prosperity while not straining land and resources. Common city challenges include congestion, lack of funds to provide basic services, a shortage of adequate housing and declining infrastructure.

The challenges cities face can be overcome in ways that allow them to continue to thrive and grow, while improving resource use and reducing pollution and poverty. The future we want includes cities of opportunities, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more for all.

I’ve only found one video that is in English and subtitled Spanish and is about the sustainable development analysed by Ban Ki-moon. 

English/Spanish – Sustainable development

Today 22 April: Mother Earth Day

Today, it’s the International Mother Earth Day. Earth gives us life, so we must care her because if she dies we’ll die too (and other livings). This special day is dedicated to promote the harmony between us and nature, to balance our ecological, social and economic needs with those of future generations.

This day has been held since one day like this in 1970, promoted by Gaylord Nelson (US senator). He pretended to raise awareness among US citizens about this global issue. It was successful and thousands of institutions (universities, schools, communities…) participated. This social pressure made that US government set up the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect the environment.

Two years after, it was held the International Stockholm Conference. It tried to raise awareness about the environmental problems in the world and the need to establish the necessary politics to protect the nature.

Returning to the present, this day looks at:

– Overpopulation: We are developing too much means to prolong humans’ life and a lot of measures to promote birth because the economy needs it. But, will the Earth put up with more than 7 million of people living on it?

– Pollution: there are many forms of pollution and we’re doing all. We’re destroying Earth but only a minority of population is aware. This is one of the biggest problems: the education isn’t oriented to ecological problems.  

– Biodiversity: the actual economic system doesn’t respect biodiversity. Society only thinks in productivity and money, regardless of the nature.

In June, world leaders will hold Rio+20 sustainable development conference. Two main issues will be discussed:

– How to achieve a balance between economy and ecology, lifting people out of poverty.

– How to improve international coordination for sustainable development.

Please watch the video below, OK? Thanks… :)

I hope this information will be useful and you know more about the International Mother Earth Day. Last but not least, I wanted to say that we’re who we must enjoy the day, because it doesn’t belong to any organisation. People are the main protagonists today.

“Mother Earth belongs to us all; Rio+20 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that all of us must seize” Ban Ki-moon (Secretary-General)