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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
April 4, 2008
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| March 18, 2008 |
Dr. Ricardo Navarro Urges a Shift from an Economic to an Ecologic Social Structure |
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Dr. Navarro reminded participants that no one can predict the effects that the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet will have, warning that humans may or may not survive the resulting climate change |
“The path that we are on is not sustainable,” warned Dr. Ricardo Navarro, the founder and president of the El Salvador based non-governmental organization CESTA (Centro Salvadoreno de Tecnologia Apropiada), and former president of Friends of the Earth International. Sustainability, global warming and the environmental crisis are hot topics in the media these days, but during his lectures onboard Dr. Navarro pointed out that planet earth is sustainable, and will continue to exist despite a significant increase or decrease in earth’s temperature. The question, rather, is whether human civilization will adapt to a hotter planet earth, on which new limits on water, land, oil and other resources kindle additional social and political conflicts. The current environmental crisis does not threaten the survival of planet earth, but of its inhabitants. |
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Dr. Navarro and Peace Boat staff member Yoko Takayama pose for a picture on deck during the 60th voyage’s cruise through Antarctic waters |
Dr. Navarro believes that the root of many global crises today lies in the fundamental economic mechanism that powers development in the world. During his onboard lectures, he spoke about the interrelatedness of environmental issues like deforestation and climate change, war and violence, and politics, stating that an economically driven society will always be unsustainable. Our global economy is based on a model planet with infinite resources for consumption, but in truth the resources on our earth are finite and clearly defined. In response to this reality, Dr. Navarro believes we must take steps to restructure our global society around the ecologic limits of our planet, meaning drastic changes for both people as individuals and national governments. The current system of mass production and mass consumption, where profit equals progress, must be immediately replaced by a system in which the needs of individuals, communities, and our global society as a whole are re-evaluated and addressed appropriately. We will produce only what people need to live safe, healthy and happy lives. Lifestyles will change drastically, but through this adjustment we may be able to create a global society that can be carried into the future. |
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| El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, and has the most volcanoes per square kilometer in the world |
Dr. Navarro’s home country, El Salvador, illustrates the problem of development clearly. For many centuries, indigenous people used traditional agricultural techniques in resource-abundant El Salvador to live self-sufficient lifestyles in a harmonious, sustainable relationship with their environment. However, as foreign pressure from colonial powers forced economic ideals and development on to the local communities, things began to spiral out of control for the indigenous people of El Salvador. Pressure to export products like coffee and sugar cane have led El Salvador to abandon traditional agricultural methods and crops. The 12-year civil war in El Salvador left the country and its people ecologically, environmentally, and emotionally scarred in many ways. Today, El Salvador’s economy is completely dependent on the United States: the US dollar is the official currency, and the primary source of revenue is foreign remittance sent to relatives in El Salvador by ex-patriot El Salvadorians living in the United States. Now, El Salvador faces the dilemma of whether to answer foreign demand and produce bio-fuel ingredients for export, or attempt to produce food to feed its own people. |
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Dr Navarro asserted in an onboard lecture, “The ambition of having more and more wealth is what will destroy us,” and urges the creation of a social system in harmony with nature |
This pattern has replayed itself countless times around the world, and developmental pressure from economic powers continues to strip natural resources from the earth in the name of progress. Sadly, this progress provides comfort for a mere privileged few in the world, while causing suffering for the majority. In the modern world, where approximately half of the people live on less than two dollars a day, concepts like progress and development require reconsideration. Of the six billion people on our planet, 20% lack clean drinking water and a full 40% lack access to sanitary, hygienic facilities in their daily lives. Dr. Navarro reminded 60th voyage participants that the earth does not need us, and existed long before humans walked its plains, traversed its seas, and began to make food from its bountiful resources. But, we need the earth and its resources to survive. It is imperative that we redefine our concept of progress to mean creating access to safe and clean food, water, and facilities for those in the world who lack it. We must build a global society based not on production, consumption and development, but on meeting the needs of people.
To learn more about Dr. Navarro’s NGO, CESTA, please visit: www.cesta-foe.org |
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