The United Nations proclaimed today, the 22nd May, the
International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. In the 20 years since the Rio Earth Summit, much remains to be done to preserve our natural capital. That is why Greens/EFA MEPs have called upon the EU to take the lead at the upcoming Rio+20 Summit in June, to break with business as usual, and strike out for the future that we really want.
The group has
long campaigned on biodiversity, including during the current crisis when it has fallen off the political radar elsewhere. From the
health of honeybees and the knock on effects on our agriculture, to new ideas on public interest and the exploitation of
fisheries we must not forget how reliant we are on these systems and how vulnerable we can be. It affects every aspect of our lives and must be at the heart of EU strategy, which is why we have worked so hard on the
2020 Biodiversity Strategy.
Now, with the
Rio +20 conference fast approaching, there is an opportunity to set the sustainable development agenda for the next 20 years. Expectations are high because this Rio Summit has the potential to be the long-awaited shift towards a more sustainable and fair future. The Greens are
calling upon the EU to take the lead and ensure a legally binding Rio +20 agreement.
One of the key themes of the summit will be how to define the 'green economy'. Will land protection be duly taken into consideration? Will the need for ocean governance be finally addressed? Will concrete measures and targets be adopted? How will environmental governance be framed? Will the EU play a key role in achieving a successful outcome? The questions are numerous and with all of this on the table, we will be having a
conference on 6th June on the future we really want.
The Greens/EFA group is pushing for a strong commitment and we hope to see you in June. In the meantime, find out more about our work and what's at stake with the links below.
