We ask world leaders to plan for one planet living

13.05.11

Speaking at a press conference at the UN in New York yesterday, BioRegional called upon world leaders to show decisive leadership in creating a one planet living world as the UN took another step on the long road to the Rio+20 Earth Summit when member states gathered in New York for the CSD19 conference.  Rio+20 is going to be a make break moment for the world.  Will global leaders seek to build on the achievements of the first Rio Earth Summit in 1992 by setting the world on a course to a green economy and sustainable future?  Or will they fall back on self serving squabbling and short-term economic advantage?

BioRegional is calling on them to not only put the future of the planet first but to move beyond the hi-falutin’ rhetoric, which so often accompanies such conferences, and build upon the first Rio Earth Summit by committing themselves to practical action that will enable the human race to live within the natural limits of the planet.  In doing so it is calling on the UN and member states to commit to a practical plan of action based upon one planet living.

“One planet living is a positive vision of a world in which we are living happy, healthy lives within the natural limits of the planet. A vision which sets out a framework within which we can look to remedy the fact that we currently consume and pollute as if we had one and a half planets to draw upon,” said Sue Riddlestone, Director of BioRegional, “The good news for this crucial UN meeting on the issue of sustainable consumption and production is that at BioRegional we have been working on a range of projects under our One Planet Living initiative which have successfully addressed these very issues. From low impact food networks to super-efficient buildings and waste paper recycling programmes.”

BioRegional is working with partners in creating sustainable communities in the UK to San Francisco to China. In the BedZED project near London – where with Peabody we have built super-energy performing buildings, with sustainable transport options, rooftop food gardens and much more – residents of say they love the sense of togetherness and quality of life even though they have halved their level of consumption. The number and size of these communities is being scaled up and at present 100,000 homes around the world are at various stages of development under one planet living schemes.

“One planet living isn’t just about telling the UN what should be done.  It is showing the world what can be done,” added Sue, “The challenge now for the world leaders is to take this vision and make it the norm for everyone in both the developed and developing world.”

BioRegional has been running a series of events at CSD19 in New York and will today be making its call to action public at the official UN press briefing as part of its ongoing campaign to put one planet living as a central part of the Rio+20 outcomes and for member states to adopt one planet living actions plans for their countries and citizens.

Find out more about BioRegional's Rio+20 One Planet Living campaign. 

For more information contact:

Simon McWhirter in New York:
simon@themessagehub.com
+44 7973 302332

Stuart Singleton-White in London:
stuart@themessagehub.com
+44 7710 403092