* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
by Jaime Guillen, Resilience Officer for Christian Aid, Central America
On a recent work trip to Malawi in southern Africa, I realised as I watched the scenery unfold on my journey from the capital Lilongwe to Blantyre that Mother Earth is the same Mother Earth everywhere: in Africa, Latin America or anywhere else. This new landscape, thousands of miles from my own country Nicaragua, easily resembles the deforested central area and the ‘dry corridor’ of my homeland. The Iconic Baobab tree – ‘the inverted tree of life’ with its roots to the sky - reminded me of Latin America’s own sacred Ceiba, and as I watched everyday people struggle through life, I was struck by just how similar we all are.
In this globalised world, maybe it’s not such a surprise to find similar problems and common advocacy issues in Malawi as in Central America, such as the expansion of ‘thirsty’ sugar cane plantations. This water-intensive industry commonly diverts the natural flow of rivers and over-exploits ground water; in many cases causing floods and damage to the most vulnerable and poor. And, as some organisations have long warned, the statistics in these areas show an increase in kidney diseases seemingly caused by the over-use of chemicals in the plantations.
Sugar cane production is increasing in many parts of the world, and it’s not just because people are drinking more Coca Cola or coffee. Now sugar is fuelling cars in the ‘developed world’ as well. Bio-fuels production is using up land that could be used to produce food for people who desperately need it. And, by manipulating the local water supply, sugar cane production is also putting many communities at risk of losing their access to drinking water.
This is an example of how a red light should be placed on this type of so-called “Green Economy”. It reminds me of the “Green Revolution” which brought in higher yield crop varieties and new fertilisers in Central America in the 1950s and 1960’s but resulted in the extermination of tropical dry forests, as well as contaminating the water and soil. That was in the name of cotton production, a crop now also grown in Malawi.
The interdependence of the 3 pillars of sustainable development – economy, environment and society - is the vision we must keep in our minds and hearts, rather than limiting our ideas to just the idea of the “green” economy.
I attended the Rio 92 environment conference and now, twenty years later; here I am in Malawi discussing sustainable development again, with colleagues from around the world.
In that time, the world has not become a better place, as Michael Jackson wrote: “not for me, not for you, not for the entire human race”. Yet we do have new technologies, a wealth of knowledge from the young and old, more hope, and a will to do things differently. But if we are going to turn that will into effective action, we need to base all our decisions on the recognition that human beings are a part of Mother Earth, not its ruler.
