CAFOD: poor should be at center of ‘green economy’

May 30, 2012

As the international community prepares for the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, CAFOD--the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales--is calling for the world’s poor to be placed at the center of “green economy” concerns.

“We think it’s an important event, and an important opportunity, but more to try and put poverty reduction and poor people’s livelihood at the center of the debate about greening development, about moving to more sustainable development models,” said Sarah Wykes, CAFOD’s lead analyst on environment and climate change.

CAFOD is “concerned about the current vision of the ‘green economy,’” the agency said in a recent statement. “It focuses too much on the ‘economy’ --that is, economic interests of rich, industrialized countries --and not enough on the ‘green’--that is, sustainable development for the poorest communities.”

“Leaving poor men and women out of the equation means solutions will be less efficient and less effective,” added Christina Weller, CAFOD’s economic justice analyst. “They often rely on the local environment and natural resources to support themselves, and they play a large part in looking after them. It is completely misguided to think that a green economy model that does not include them will work or be fair.”

 

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Further information:

• Rio +20: Brazil’s indigenous people speak out for greener, fairer future (CAFOD)
• Catholic groups prepare for Rio +20 conference (Vatican Radio)
• Rio+20 (United Nations)