Press release
Published: 28 Jun 2011
New EEA report highlights connectivity between
global issues
Kenyan asparagus, Vietnamese tuna and European
dinner tables were just some of the victims
of the transport chaos caused by the Eyjafjallajökull
volcano in Iceland in April 2010, according
to EEA Signals 2011, a yearly story-based
report from the European Environment Agency
(EEA) released today in Szentendre, Hungary.
The eruption clearly illustrated the connectivity
between some of the key systems underpinning
our globalised society, from trade to health
and the environment. This connectivity,
its benefits and drawbacks, are key themes
of Signals 2011, which tells its stories
through the real life experiences of people
around the globe.
Meet Chance a child miner in the jungles
of Congo and read how minerals that make
our mobile phones work are connected to
war and injustice in the developing world.
Meet the Bhuyan family members of a forest-dwelling
tribe from east India and read how global
financial markets value the minerals in
the forest but ignore the value of the forest
to the people living there.
Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive
Director of the EEA, said: "The environment
connects us all. Many of the raw materials
we use come from distant countries, and
their extraction sometimes has unintended
consequences. European consumption also
produces a lot of waste.
"Signals shows that we need to think
about the lifecycle of resources where
they come from, how we use them, how we
recycle waste materials. This provides a
global perspective, showing the opportunities
and constraints in a modern, globalised
world."
Dr. József Ángyán,
Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Rural
Development, Hungary said: "As the
public consultation on the preparation of
National Rural Development Strategy in Hungary
has shown, these issues also pose a major
challenge at local regional and national
level. There is a huge potential in the
wisdom and personal experience of local
communities, complementing other data-gathering
exercises and delivering a clear message
for us all concerning the way forward."
While Chance and the Bhuyan family have
very particular experiences and personal
stories, their lives like ours - are increasingly
shaped by global forces which connect us
all. As Europeans, our role is often as
consumers. The European lifestyle, and the
legitimate aspirations of billions of people
to mirror this high-consumption way of life,
will largely define our common future.
In 2012 we celebrate the 20th anniversary
of the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,
which established sustainable development
as a major political aim around the world.
A Rio+20 meeting will try to reinvigorate
and redefine sustainable development. With
Signals 2011, the EEA starts on the road
to Rio with a clear message: the poorest
of the poor depend on the environment daily
for survival. Sustainable development -
with the eradication of poverty at its core
- cannot succeed without securing, as a
first principal, a healthy environment.
