The earth summit.

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), to be held in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, represents "mankind's last best hope," in the words of its secretary-general, Maurice Strong. But can it provide real hope for solving the morass of environmental problems

To fulfill its promise, UNCED cannot be merely an event, but must be a process that begins now. It is an historic call to humanity that we must become stewards of the earth and all its inhabitants. Despite our seeming dominion over the planet, we must accept that we are ultimately dependent on the millions of other species sharing our home.

We can no longer wait until all the evidence is in before changing our ways. UNCED is an opportunity to engage in the hard tasks of educating ourselves about the crises we face and then taking up the necessary actions globally, regionally, and locally. Environmental problems do not respect national boundaries, so these actions must be unified, and they must be based on a charter which demands the population be controlled, particularly in poorer countries. In addition, the Arctic, Antarctica, and the primeval forests of the world should be declared sacred regions and thus protected from any human encroachment.

A Future "United Regions"?

We are learning from the example of an emerging united Europe that we need to move toward regional environmental and development plans based on sustainable resource use. Such regional plans could form the basis for a United Regions (replacing the United Nations) by 2025, leading to a world government by 2050. This implies, now that superpower conflicts have come to an end, a sharp reduction in military budgets around the world.

Many environmental problems are byproducts of fossil-fuel consumption, so we must speed the development of alternative energy sources such as biomass, solar, wind, ocean, and thermal energies. But we must also move toward simpler lifestyles so that we do not need to consume such vast amounts of energy to enjoy a good life. We should strive not to produce ever higher quantities of material goods, but to provide a high quality of life to all the people of the earth.

Water quality is a special concern. Cleansing the fouled rivers, coastlines, and lakes will require not only technologies of pollution control, but discarding the technologies that have ruined our precious resources. This means embracing organic agriculture and eliminating the large-scale use of fertilizers and pesticides.

Achieving all of these goals will require liberating ourselves from the tyranny of history. Our thinking, our language, our attitudes, our relations, and our outlooks must undergo fundamental changes. For example, nongovernmental organizations must begin to see beyond their narrow sectoral interests (women, indigenous peoples, Africa, etc.). Every educational system in the world must foster learning about the earth and the interdependence of all life. These changes may not come easily because we are all victims of our past and our habits. But that is where everything must begin.

A World of Possibilities

Conferences and seminars can provide a forum for sharing information and generating inspiration, but by themselves they cannot bring about the necessary changes. The world changes only when enough ordinary people go into action. Of course, we need leaders of vision, commitment, and understanding. But ultimately, the real test of leadership in the future will be how to mobilize people everywhere to become part of a long journey of environmental reconstruction. The aim is to create not a Utopia, but a world of human possibilities. Such a world can only be constructed through hard labor in every walk of life by those who care for the sanctity of the earth. This can be done anywhere and everywhere.

The true meaning of UNCED is that it will be held not just in Rio, but ubiquitously in every corner of the world. UNCED is only a symbol for the plans that people everywhere will make to understand the plight of the environment and to act on that understanding. Each person has a part to play because everyone is a creator in his or her own right of the future of the earth and of the dreams of our children.

Rashmi Mayur is currently assisting Secretary-General Maurice Strong in preparing for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Mayur, an urban planner, is president of the Global Futures Network, 73A Mittal Tower, Nariman Point, Bombay 400 021, India.