Hansard

It is a real privilege for me to debate this motion, which seeks the Parliament’s support to urge those who will attend the forthcoming Rio+20 conference to agree a programme of action that will make a serious and lasting contribution to tackling the pressing challenges that face global society, principally how to build a green economy, achieve sustainable development, lift people out of poverty and improve international co-ordination for sustainable development.

I thank all the members who have signed my motion and those who will participate in this evening’s debate. I also congratulate CIFAL Scotland on bringing this issue to the Parliament and, as I have said in my motion, on its work

“in bringing together the public and private sector to advance the green growth agenda in Scotland”

and its ambition, shared with Sniffer, Scottish Business in the Community, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Scottish Environment LINK,

“to give Scotland a powerful voice in promoting greater sustainability worldwide”.

Through the establishment of the Rio flourishing Scotland working group, those organisations came together to raise awareness of Rio+20 in Scotland and jointly produced “A Flourishing Scotland”, which not only celebrates Scotland’s progress since the first earth summit in 1992 but, importantly, highlights those areas in which greater ambition is required if Scotland is to maintain its momentum towards a sustainable future. Their efforts are to be commended.

As colleagues will be aware, Rio+20 convenes 20 years after the earth summit in Rio, which led to the publication of the “Rio Declaration on Environment and Development”. In reflecting the emergence of a global consensus on and political commitment at the highest level to developmental and environmental co-operation to tackle poverty, promote environmental protection and achieve sustainable development through a global partnership under the auspices of the United Nations system, that document resonates as profoundly today as it did 20 years ago.

There is no doubt that, 20 years later, some progress has been made. Few today deny the reality of climate change and no one is under any illusion that it is the world’s poorest who are most vulnerable to the destruction that continued environmental degradation will unleash. However, our collective response remains inadequate, as many Governments simply fail to implement the measures necessary to reverse global warming and rescue countless millions from the unacceptable costs of climate injustice.

Today, the global economy faces its worst economic and social crisis in living memory and the inescapable truth is that yet again those who live in the world’s poorest countries will suffer most as inequalities in income, health, education and mortality widen even further. I therefore echo the remarks made in January by our First Minister when he urged world leaders to make 2012 a “year of climate justice” and the motion adopted by the Parliament in March, in which we endorsed the opportunity for Scotland to champion climate justice.

If we are to achieve that, the Rio+20 talks must deliver. The conference is a historic opportunity for Governments, the UN, and other international agencies to provide the leadership that we will need if we are to deliver concrete policies that will promote prosperity and reduce poverty, advance social equity, and ensure environmental protection.

I do not consider that to be an overly ambitious request. The Scottish Parliament has shown what can be done to bring sustainable development closer to the heart of decision making in Scotland. Today we are fully aware of the economic, environmental and social impact of the policies that we pursue to meet our objectives. As parliamentarians, most of us are involved with a range of stakeholders who are determined to support our efforts to mainstream those concerns into our legislative and policy thinking. That has led us to enact pioneering climate change legislation that incorporates world-leading emissions and renewables targets, along with commitments to climate adaptation and Scotland’s first land use strategy. Through our legislation, we have championed community involvement in renewable energy development. We have demonstrated that protecting the environment is desirable, and that it can be profitable for individuals and businesses alike. As the Parliament of and for the people of Scotland, we are encouraging our non-governmental organisations, businesses, local authorities, community groups, and research institutes to become part of a collective and collaborative effort to create a sustainable future and ensure employability.

Last night, it was my privilege to host the flourishing Scotland reception, which brought together a wide and diverse cross-section of Scottish society, all linked by a common commitment to support actions that will lead to a more sustainable global future. It is not only appropriate policies that we need to implement if we are to succeed at the forthcoming Rio conference. Arguably the greatest challenge that will face Rio+20 is to establish an international framework that will ensure delivery of the policies that we need—an international framework for sustainable development. The absence of a robust and meaningful international framework represents the weakest link in the prospects for achieving success at the Rio+20 conference.

I said at the outset that I wanted to congratulate CIFAL Scotland, Sniffer, Scottish Business in the Community, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Scottish Environment LINK on the work that they do in raising awareness in Scotland about how important it is that the Rio+20 conference is a success in substance and its subsequent implementation. In closing, I stress that the matters that will be discussed next month in Rio do not involve faceless people in a faraway land. Those issues affect us all, and we all have a responsibility for the success of the conference. I am delighted that Stewart Stevenson will represent the Scottish Government and Parliament in Rio next month. Achieving a consensus around my motion will enable him to take to that meeting a strong and positive message from the people of Scotland.

I am not suggesting that Scotland’s journey towards supporting sustainable development is over. Certainly, there is more to be done. Scotland needs a renewed focus on sustainable development that acknowledges its key role in achieving economic stability, environmental sustainability and social equality. In that regard, the Parliament has an important governance role to play in regularly reviewing and scrutinising the progress that is being made. More work needs to be done on identifying and exploring alternatives to gross domestic product, especially given the apparent disconnect between GDP and prosperity. What measure should we use to take account of Scotland’s values, attitudes and behaviours in relation to sustainable development? It is incumbent on us all to continue to work with the people of Scotland to that end.

If ever there was a time when the interests of different peoples in different parts of the world could have been regarded as separate and unrelated, that time is long past. Today we live in an interconnected and integrated world in which our individual actions directly affect the welfare of people across the planet, just as their actions affect us. The Rio+20 conference will provide an opportunity to take a decisive step towards delivering sustainable development and climate justice at a global level that will benefit every citizen in every country across the world. I therefore hope that members of Parliament will give their unanimous backing to the motion and, by doing so, send a message to the delegates who will attend the Rio+20 conference that the people of Scotland urge them to a successful conclusion. We have the momentum; let us build on it and ensure that it does not end in Rio.

17:14