MANIFESTO NFI 2007 MANIFESTO FOR A NEW EUROPE - ΜΑΝΙΦΕΣΤΟ ΓΙ | Page 16

Manifesto for a New Europe
since the industrialisation of fishing and the industrial process-
ing of fish in the 1950s and1960s, overfishing has been the
rule and several fish species have been practically exterminated.
Whereas northern countries are still well supplied with table
fish, the chronically undernourished populations in Africa and
Central America suffer from a shortage of fish for food.
The food scarcity in the developing countries and especially
on the African continent is in part due to the scarcity of water.
In the geographical triangle between Tunisia, Pakistan and Su-
dan people suffer from structural water scarcity. Whereas the
average daily consumption of water in the developing coun-
tries amounts to a few litres, water is squandered in western
countries. Over 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drink-
ing water. According to estimates, 180 billion dollars would
have to be invested within the next two decades in order to
upgrade the water infrastructure in the developing countries.
Currently, investments amount to 75 billion annually. In the
western countries there is, moreover, a trend towards privatis-
ing water supply, i.e. to subject the vital resource of water to
the laws of the market place.
WE DEMAND
In view of the special situation created by climate change,
ecological issues must be given political priority. Solutions to
the most pressing problems can only be found at the interna-
tional level. In pursuance of the ultimate goal of fully meet-
ing energy demands by tapping regenerative sources, a global
energy turnabout, in other words the switch from fossil fuels
to renewable resources must be put at the top of the agenda.
Such a step would, on the one hand, defuse fights over shrink-
ing oil and gas supplies and, on the other hand, provide the
only opportunity for a lasting reduction of CO 2 and green-
house gas emissions and for halting the disastrous effects of
global warming. If the regenerative energy potential is to be
utilised and the largest possible proportion of global demand
covered by it, it is of paramount importance to curb the still
unchecked increase in energy consumption and for the North
to support southern countries in developing their own renew-
able energy sources.
Rich countries as well as newly industrialising countries will
have to subscribe to environmentally compatible transport poli-
cies, rolling back or putting the brakes on private transport,
which is a major contributor to CO 2 pollution. We urgently
plead for upgrading public transport systems and for shifting
goods transport to the rail. Ecotaxes on petrol and aviation fuel
are supposed to curb car traffic and the booming aviation sec-
tor, and the resulting revenues should benefit environment and
climate protection. It is of paramount importance to uncouple
economic growth from growing transport volumes, nor must it
be based on the long haul transportation of goods. This would
have the added advantage of (once again) putting people in-
stead of cars at the centre of town planning.
We demand an overall ecological tax reform designed to
lower the consumption of fossil energy. Moreover, higher en-
ergy taxes imposed on industrial enterprises may be translated
into a lighter tax burden on earned income. Last but not least,
we call upon the USA, the most energy-profligate country, to
sign the Kyoto Protocol.
16 International Friends of Nature
Energy efficiency needs to be improved and wind turbines as
well as solar power systems must be subsidised. In view of the
unforeseeable risks inherent in nuclear technology, expanding
its use would lead energy policy makers into a dangerous dead-
end street. We advocate following the example of Sweden and
Germany and phase out nuclear power plants in Europe, or in
other words put a stop to the construction of new plants.
Not only energy resources, but also all public goods of
global importance, such as water, must be frugally used and
protected from pollution. Especially access to clean drinking
water must be improved in the arid regions of the planet by
generous development assistance from the rich North. In this
context the emphasis should be on the efficient use of scarce
resources, e.g. by better maintenance of plants and mains,
rather than on energy-consuming technical processes, such
as desalination.
The mounting waste problem cannot be solved by out-
sourcing to and recycling in underdeveloped countries. The
only sustainable solution to this environmental problem is to
use environmentally compatible materials in the manufacture
of goods. Long haulage distances must be avoided and, if at
all possible, waste should be treated where it is generated. The
materials retrieved should be reused as raw materials or sources
of energy. Last but not least, consumers must be sensitised to
ecological issues and the after-effects of mass consumption.
Sustainable climate and energy policies stand in particular
need of international organisations authorised to issue and to
implement binding legal regulations. The planned ‘United Na-
tions Environment Organisation’ will need to be equipped with
legal powers and financial resources and must lose no time in
integrating the fragmented environmental architecture of the
UN. The EU, too, stands in need of an institution authorised
to set binding standards for environmental and energy policies
(EU Climate Council). Participatory structures will be of the es-
sence in all international regulatory regimes.
The EU as an economic space – for a
sustainable Europe
OUR GOAL
The EU combines a newly defined idea of economic success
with a consistent strategy of green management. This is the
prerequisite for international economic success and social jus-
tice in Europe.
WE KNOW
The ‘strategy for sustainable growth, employment and greater
social cohesion’ (Lisbon Strategy), adopted in 2000, is intended
to make the EU the most competitive and dynamic economy
in the world by 2010. Currently, there is much to suggest that,
if shaped in line with the Lisbon Strategy, the EU will bear the
imprint of neoliberalism and will be oriented towards economic
growth and profit. The process of creating a ‘knowledge-based