11 January 2023
Dear Friends in our?quest for sustainability,
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Isaac?Asimov, the American biochemist and science fiction writer once said: ”No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it?is, but the world as it?will be.”
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He was right: the decision which path to follow now will have a?direct impact?on the fate of?the forthcoming?generations of humankind, too.
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Yes, we have entered the?Anthropocene?era in the history of the Earth – but?are we?up to the tremendous?responsibility?of being the main shapers of life on our globe??
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We usually make our decisions with the assumption that we have the relevant information for?the best possible?outcomes.
Let me draw a parallel: If you need to cross a road and there is no traffic light, you assess the flow of cars.
There are several factors for you to evaluate: the number or cars, the distance between them, their speed, the width of the road, the number and the location of banana peels, your abilities to walk, even the probability of a?police officer?showing up…
What we know is that in our world today, we?need?to get to the other side of the road, as on our side of the road, conditions for life and civilization are becoming?unsustainable.
The other side that is more?sustainable, peaceful, respectful, inclusive, socially more just, and, therefore,?better?for the current and future generations of humanity – and their only home, this fragile blue planet. Just as we agreed.
In our?real?world, the cars are the wars, the blatant disrespect for human rights, the depletion of our resources, the inadequate education of our children, the growing inequality of distribution of food and other resources, and, most alarmingly, the worsening water and climate crises.
It would be?self-deception?to expect that a friendly policeman will suddenly show up in 2023.
In fact, in 2020 we had?a sort of?a policeman called Covid-19. It introduced to us the prototype of the Anthropocene era crises but even that was?not enough?to cause a speedy transformation. Despite our joint promise we gave earlier in the SDGs, the Addis Ababa Protocol, and the Paris Agreement.
In 2023, we are providing science briefings to the 蘑菇视频 General Assembly, the world’s Number 1 deliberative and policy making body: an institution comprising 193 member states, with a combined constituency of?eight billion?people.
We hope to see?a coalition of scientists?that can advise the Assembly in shaping key decisions and validate how sustainable their implementation is:?how?fast?we are crossing the road and?how many?cars are approaching.
We will have the 蘑菇视频 Conference on Water in March to agree and decide on?game changers?for water and resilience.
New financing models for water, and a global water information system are both?key elements?of our new, integrated water?and?climate agenda.
We will review our progress regarding the Sendai framework in May to lock in?early warnings?for all, as well as?risk assessment and mitigation.?
The SDG summit in September will be?the?moment?to synthesize it all?for the whole sustainable development agenda – and to put the world on a “Beyond GDP” track, with scientific?guard rails?approved by the international community.?
Dear Friends, we have to?focus on the future: we cannot get through the road based on how many cars went by?yesterday.
We can’t build traffic lights: it would take?too long?to agree on where to put them and on the side that will pay for them.
But we?can?get our act together and provide the basic scientific guidance we all need to cross that road: the road that divides humanity’s?demise?from its?second chance.
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Please?join me?in this endeavor.
While doing so, I ask you to be?mindful?of the limitations of our knowledge, but, all the same, to be?resolute?because time is evidently?not?on our side.
How to do that? How to resolve this basic dilemma of the 21st?century? Well, to quote the immortal words of Hamlet, “that?is the question”
And it is with?this question?that I wish you thought-provoking discussions.
I sincerely hope to get positive, impactful and?game-changing outcomes?from your deliberations.
Good luck and a happy new year to all of you.
Thanks for your attention.