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	No Hiding From Sustainable Development by Jeffrey D. Sachs Earth Institute at Columbia University, agencies   Too many political leaders are ignoring a growing environmental crisis, imperiling their own countries and others.   Coastal areas around the world, are threatened by rising sea levels caused by human-induced climate change. Growing environmental threats are forcing their way into the headlines whether politicians or land developers like it or not. The bad news about mega-droughts and freshwater scarcity stretches from Brazil to California to conflict-ridden countries in the Middle East.   Sao Paulo"s metropolitan region of 20 million people is now on the verge of water rationing, an unprecedented threat for one of the world"s leading cities. In California, this winter has been another dry season in a bitter four-year drought, one of the most severe in the region"s history.   In Pakistan, the minister of water and energy recently declared that, “Under the present situation, in the next six to seven years Pakistan can be a water-starved country." In Iran, the Hamoun wetlands bordering Afghanistan are disappearing, posing a grave threat to the local population.   Looking back, it is also clear that a decade-long drought in neighboring Syria helped to trigger the unrest that escalated into a catastrophic civil war, with at least 200,000 Syrians dead and no end to the violence in sight. The drought had displaced an estimated 1.5 million people and caused food prices to soar, leading to a spiral of protest, crackdown, and eventually war. Though drought does not explain all of the ensuing violence, it certainly played a role.   Each of these droughts reflects a complex mix of factors: long-term climate change, short-term or decade-long weather patterns, growing populations rising demand for freshwater, mismanagement of local resources, and, of course, a lack of political attention and will. Every drought must therefore be confronted locally, addressing local realities.   Yet the global message is also clear: the world"s growing population (now at 7.3 billion, but likely to reach eight billion by 2024 and nine billion by around 2040), human-induced climate change, and the overuse of freshwater for irrigation and urban needs (especially when cities are built up in dry regions) are all fueling the potential for catastrophe.   Recent research indicates that these trends are likely to intensify. Almost all studies of human-induced climate change show that the Mediterranean region, including security hotspots like Libya, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, and Syria, is likely to experience a further significant decline in rainfall, compounding the drying trend that has occurred during the past quarter-century.   Likewise, a recent study by my colleagues at Columbia University"s Earth Institute has shown that human-induced climate change is likely to cause increasingly frequent mega-droughts in the second half of this century.   In September of this year, world leaders will gather at the United Nations to adopt a set of Sustainable Development Goals to address these rising threats.   Those who want to hide from reality will find that they no longer can. That is because our new reality is one of droughts, heat waves, extreme storms, rising sea levels, and unstable climate patterns. Unless we act with foresight and base our actions on scientific evidence, water stress, food insecurity, and social crises will not be far behind. In other words, today"s mounting threats cannot be covered up. The Age of Sustainable Development must be built on openness, participation, and science.   * Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is also Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals.   http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics   * A few links exploring the Post 2015 Development Agenda:   http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs http://sd.iisd.org/ http://www.beyond2015.org/ http://www.participate2015.org/ http://www.worldwewant2015.org/ http://www.worldwewant2015.org/inequalities http://www.worldwewant2015.org/es/node/283328 http://cesr.org/article.php?list=type&type=157 http://www.fao.org/post-2015-mdg/home/en/ http://www.srfood.org/en/equality-or-bust-for-post-2015-global-development-goals-un-rights-experts   http://www.unicef.org/post2015/ http://www.unicef.org/post2015/index_69527.html http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/ http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_86337.html http://socialprotection-humanrights.org/   http://blogs.oxfam.org/en/blogs/16-01-15-experts-say-inaction-climate-change-top-global-risk-next-decade http://www.wfp.org/stories/ending-hunger-3-things-need-happen-after-paris-agreement http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/achieving-zero-hunger-combining-social-protection-propoor-investments http://theelders.org/article/paris-climate-agreement-gives-us-momentum-build http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2015-12-12/agreed-climate-deal-offers-frayed-life-line-worlds-poorest-people http://careclimatechange.org/historic-climate-deal-signals-hope-for-the-poor/ http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/press-releases/general/cop21-the-red-cross-red-crescent-urges-states-and-partners-to-implement-the-paris-climate-agreement-with-a-focus-on-the-people-most-exposed-at-risk-and-vulnerable/ http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/features/the-2015-paris-climate-summit/ http://www.irena.org   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16702&LangID=E http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/345727/icode/ http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/COP21.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16049&LangID=E http://www.wmo.int/media/content/wmo-2015-likely-be-warmest-record-2011-2015-warmest-five-year-period http://reliefweb.int/report/world/shock-waves-managing-impacts-climate-change-poverty http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4626 http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/food-insecurity-index/ http://www.mrfcj.org/news/ http://www.iied.org/what-do-least-developed-countries-want-cop21 http://theelders.org/news-media/climate-change http://careclimatechange.org/   http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2013/7/post-2015-long-paper#view http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/focussdgs.html http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.html http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ http://www.whiteband.org/en/content/post-2015 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/Post2015Development.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15505&LangID=E http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13063&LangID=E http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/PromotingHRbasedfinancialregulationmacroeconomicpolicies.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15592&LangID=E http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Climatechangestragictollonhealth.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/NewsFeatureStoriesPromotingahumanrights.aspx   http://post2015.org/ http://www.unrisd.org/ http://www.un-ngls.org/IMG/pdf/UN-NGLS_Post-2015_Regional_Consultation_September_2013.pdf http://www.ethicsandinternationalaffairs.org/2014/eliminating-extreme-inequality-a-sustainable-development-goal-2015-2030/ http://www.ipsnews.net/topics/inequality/ http://www.ipsnews.net/news/development-aid/poverty-mdgs/ http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/sustainable-development-goals   http://www.irf2015.org/ http://www.irf2015.org/blog http://www.irf2015.org/post-2015-round-around-web-world-resources-institute-0 http://www.iied.org/tag/post-2015-agenda http://www.iied.org/tag/sustainable-development-goals-sdgs http://www.whiteband.org/en/news/14-01-07-open-working-group-side-event-implementing-just-inclusive-equal-and-sustainable-develo http://webtv.un.org/watch/what-can-the-post-2015-development-agenda-achieve-for-persons-with-disabilities-2nd-meeting-of-the-high-level-political-forum-on-sustainable-development-side-event/3664934986001/ http://www.saferworld.org.uk/what/post-2015 http://www.action2015.org/who-we-are/   http://www.fian.org/news/article/detail/fian-demands-human-rights-for-all-in-post-2015-agenda http://post2015.iisd.org/category/post2015-themes/post2015-inequalities/ http://post2015.iisd.org/news/aina-report-highlights-seven-key-messages-on-inequalities/ http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/opinions-and-positions/opinion-pieces/2013/feedback-on-the-report-by-the-high-level-panel-of-eminent-persons-on-the-post--2015-development-agenda/ http://www.beyond2015.org/news/people-know-what-they-want-and-need http://www.ids.ac.uk/news/people-and-institutions-must-work-together-to-address-inequalities-that-characterise-extreme-poverty   http://www.beyond2015.org/news/beyond-2015-reaction-special-events-outcome-document-press-release http://www.beyond2015.org/sites/default/files/Beyond2015_Reaction_UNSG_Synthesis_Report.pdf http://www.cesr.org/downloads/RF_letter_SG_nov17.pdf http://www.networkideas.org/news/mar2013/pdf/Inequality_Letter.pdf http://cesr.org/article.php?id=1532 http://www.cesr.org/article.php?id=1512 http://www.rightingfinance.org/?p=1038 http://www.rightingfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/full-response.pdf http://www.cesr.org/article.php?list=type&type=157 http://www.cesr.org/article.php?id=1576 http://www.cesr.org/article.php?id=1578 http://cesr.org/article.php?list=type&type=157 http://cesr.org/article.php?id=1504   http://theelders.org/article/one-flaw-sustainable-development-goals-may-make-difference-between-success-and-failure http://sd.iisd.org/news/odi-provides-scorecard-on-sdgs-recommends-early-action/#more-299925 http://sd.iisd.org/news/civil-society-focus-shifts-toward-sdg-advocacy-implementation/299135/ http://www.together2030.org/en/ http://deliver2030.org/ http://www.wfuna.org/post-2015 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx Visit the related web page
	Ten years since historic debt cancellation agreement, fears new crises may arise in future by Jubilee Debt Campaign, agencies   Lending levels to the most impoverished countries in the world have tripled, ten years after the G7 finance ministers agreed a debt cancellation deal for low income countries, potentially setting a new debt trap for the countries that benefited from the deal.   The debt cancellation agreement made in London in 2005 by the G7 Finance Ministers has led to $130 billion of debt being cancelled for 36 countries, most recently Chad in May 2015. This has reduced the money governments were spending on debt payments, and has helped lead to improvements in public services.   Tim Jones, economist at the Jubilee Debt Campaign, said: “Debt cancellation was vital in 2005 for countries to get out of the debt trap, and help provide essential services such as healthcare and education. However, nothing was done to prevent reckless lending re-creating debt crises, as is now seen in Europe. Governments continue to bailout lenders, incentivising them to continue acting recklessly, whilst giving large amounts of their ‘aid’ money as loans.”   Since 2005, for the 36 countries which had some of their debts cancelled:   Their debt payments have fallen from 10% of government revenue to 4%. The proportion of children completing primary school has increased from 51% to 66%. The number of women dying in childbirth has fallen from 680 per 100,000 births to 500.   However, figures calculated by the Jubilee Debt Campaign, based on data from the World Bank, show that loans to impoverished country governments have increased by 40% in just one year, and have more than tripled since 2005.   Lending to ‘low income countries’ increased to $17.3 billion in 2013, the latest year with figures available, up from $12.2 billion in 2012 and $5.1 billion in 2005. Of the loans since the global financial crisis began in 2008, 63% are from multilateral institutions, primarily the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, 27% from governments such as China, Japan, France and Germany, and 10% from private lenders.   Research by the Jubilee Debt Campaign, based on IMF and World Bank figures, has shown that debt payments for low income countries are set to increase from 4% of government revenue today to up-to 13% by the early 2020s. Many countries could see debt payments increase by even more, with Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia all among the countries which could be spending over 20% of government revenue on foreign debt payments by the early 2020s.   In September 2014, the United Nations passed a resolution to begin negotiations on creating a ‘bankruptcy’ process for governments. Such a mechanism would indicate that reckless lenders would no longer be bailed out by the IMF and other public institutions, as has happened in many developing countries as well as Greece. Just 11 countries voted against the UN negotiations taking place, but this included the UK, US, Germany and Japan. The next negotiating session at the UN will take place on 30 June to 2 July 2015.   http://jubileedebt.org.uk/press-release/ten-years-since-historic-debt-cancellation-agreement-new-crises-threaten-africa   IMF own report admits obsession with neo-liberal market fundamentalism fuels inequality. Trickle-down economics is a failed policy. (Guardian News, agencies)   In light of how the International Monetary Fund has spent most of its existence parading around the world telling governments to make their economies more friendly for multinational corporations by suppressing wages, restricting pensions, liberalizing industries, and more or less advocating they ignore the popular will of workers and the less fortunate—all in the name of market capitalism and endless economic growth—the new report released by the IMF contains an ironic warning: stop doing all that.   Though it perpetuates the idea that economic growth is the master to whom all should bow, the new research—conducted by the IMF''s own economists and submitted under the title Causes and Consequences of Inequality—argues that many of the policies promoted by the IMF have actually harmed nations by exacerbating widespread economic inequality. As many have noted, current disparities between the world''s richest and poorest represent a nearly unprecedented level of global inequality which the report described as the "defining challenge of our time."   In order to strengthen economies, the report declares, nations should admit that "trickle-down" theories of wealth and prosperity do not work. In lieu of those, the study recommends raising wages and living standards for the bottom 20 percent, installing more progressive tax structures, improving worker protections, and instituting policies specifically designed to bolster the middle class.   "Fighting inequality is not just an issue of fairness but an economic necessity," said Nicolas Mombrial of Oxfam International in response to the report. "And that’s not Oxfam speaking, but the International Monetary Fund."   This is not the first time the IMF''s own research has bolstered the arguments of its biggest critics. According to the International Business Times, the new analysis on inequality "echoes previous IMF research that show that redistributive policies have a positive effect on countries’ economic output."   But as the Guardian''s economics editor Larry Elliott notes, the new paper creates obvious "tension between the IMF’s economic analysis and the more hardline policy advice" it continually gives to countries seeking foreign assistance or development funds. With Greece as the most obvious example, Elliott cites details from the report and writes:   During its negotiations with Athens, the IMF has been seeking to weaken workers’ rights, reduce public spending on health and education, reduce pensions and the social safety net. The IMF own research paper finds that the easing of labor market regulations was associated with greater inequality and a boost to the incomes of the richest 10%.   “Empirical estimations using more detailed data for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries [34 of the world’s richest nations] suggest that, in line with other forthcoming IMF work, more lax hiring and firing regulations, lower minimum wages relative to the median wage, and less prevalent collective bargaining and trade unions are associated with higher inequality.”   The study said there was growing evidence to suggest that rising influence of the rich and stagnant incomes of the poor and middle classes caused financial crises, hurting both short-and long-term growth.   No one should be fooled into thinking that the new research aims to alter the IMF''s central commitment to advancing the financial interests of the dominate business interests.   In fact, part of the argument presented in the paper is that such enormous levels of global economic inequality could seriously undermine the institution''s public defense of capitalism''s supposed overall supremacy. "For example," the paper states, "too much inequality can lead to a backlash against purported "growth-enhancing economic liberalization" and fuel protectionist pressures against globalization and market-oriented reforms."   According to a recent report by Oxfam International, half the world’s wealth is owned by one percent of the population. With the richest 85 people in the world possessing what the bottom half of the world’s population owns.   For Oxfam''s Mombrial, who heads the international anti-poverty group''s office in Washington D.C., the IMF''s report is a welcome development that should put a nail in the coffin of the austerity-driven policies prescribed by governments and powerful financial institutions like the IMF, World Bank, and others.   "The IMF report proves that making the rich richer does not work for growth, while focusing on the poor and the middle class does," Mombrial said. "This reinforces Oxfam’s call on how we need to reduce the income gap between the haves and have-nots, and scrutinize why the richest 10 percent and top 1 percent have so much wealth.   In releasing this report, the IMF has shown that ''trickle-down'' economics is dead; you cannot rely on the spoils of the extremely wealthy to benefit the rest of us. Governments must urgently refocus their policies to close the gap between the richest and the rest if economies and societies are to grow.   The message is pretty clear: if you want growth, you''d better invest in the poor, invest in essential services and promote redistributive tax policies."   “Governments can do this in line with the IMF’s own report recommendations, which Oxfam backs, namely a package of progressive taxation measures, including clamping down on tax evasion and tax avoidance, investment in essential public services, like health and education, and labor market policies such as minimum wages".   http://www.oxfam.org/en/research/working-few http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/15/focus-on-low-income-families-to-boost-economic-growth-says-imf-study Visit the related web page
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