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<The Councillor as Guardian of the Environment> Part I - Essay on the Councillor as Guardian of the
Environment Definition and Summary B. Putting the Environmental Challenge into Perspective While the case invloving the tree sitters is instructive (and for those involved somewhat humorous in retrospect), the consequences were minuscule compared with the struggle many communities around the world now face in forging a productive two-way relationship between development and the environment. As UNCHS (Habitat)/UNEP state in the opening paragraphs of their Sustainable Cities Programme:
Nevertheless, the relationship could also be a positive one. Sound environmental management can improve the well-being of our citizens and directly support economic growth. Conversely, economic development based onsound policies can promote (and help finance) environmental improvements. More importantly, mutually reinforcing environmental and development policies can provide significant improvements in the lives of the poor. It is the poor in our societies, particularly the urban poor and especially women and children, who suffer most from the consequences of pollution and environmental degradation. As elected leaders of all the people in your community, the reality of this self-evident truth cannot be ignored nor diminished. Communities are only as strong as their weakest link. The weakest link becomes more fragile each day in those cities and towns experiencing the enormous demands of explosive population growth without corresponding economic and social opportunities. Let's stop for a moment and ponder the reality of our rapidly changing world.
While urbanization is crucial for the creation of diversified and dynamic economies, it is a two-edged sword. Urban areas are more vulnerable to the myriad of environmental risks and problems associated with our so-called "modern world." For example:
Taken together, these trends and truisms are sobering. Their consequences on citizens and communities in the transition countries of Eastern and Central Europe and developing countries are even more staggering. Nor are the so-called "north" communities, and the wealthy, immune from the scourges of creeping environmental degradation. Epidemics and diseases resulting from poor sanitation will affect the whole world community. Let's look at some examples of the legacy with which these major regions of the world are coping.
Urban communities in the transition countries of Eastern and Central Europe are dubious beneficiaries of nearly forty years of poorly managed economic development; extensive pollution; soil and water contamination; toxic chemicals; resource deple-tion; high-waste consumption patterns and “dirty” production techniques. While many of these countries are working their way out of this inter-related and reinforc-ing set of debilitating factors, it is at a significant cost. For example, the Upper Silesia (Katowice) Region in Poland is one of the most polluted areas in Europe. The region is dominated by a massive complex of coal mines, heavy industries and chemical production facilities that were exploited with total disregard to the environment. They accrued a heavy burden of personal and community costs over several decades. In a weighted index of environmental factors (including such indicators as emissions of gases and dust, industrial waste, water quality, forests and soil quality), the Katowice Voivodeship (province) ranks last among Poland’s 49 sub-national units of government, significantly worse that neigh-boring industrial regions. That region epitomizes the excesses of unsustainable development and the disas-trous results that can occur from years of blatant neglect by public officials who maintained unaccountable rein over their country’s destiny. Statistics from a UNEP/ UNCHS (Habitat) Sustainable Cities case study illustrate the region’s demise:
Despite one of the highest levels of income in Poland, the Katowice Voivodeship ranks at the bottom when judged against many health indicators, particularly those associated with environmental factors. For example,
That region epitomizes the excesses of unsustainable development and the disas-trous results that can occur from years of blatant neglect by public officials who maintained unaccountable rein over their country’s destiny. Statistics from a UNEP/ UNCHS (Habitat) Sustainable Cities case study illustrate the region’s demise:
We present the Katowice situation as a reminder of what can happen when our collective backs are turned to the consequences of unfettered economic development and environmental degradation. But, we also want to share with you the progress local leaders have made to regain local control over their future destiny. They have set up a local Sustainable Cities Programme effort, in collaboration with UNCHS (Habitat) and UNEP’s IETC. It is designed to: (1) strengthen the region’s environmen-tal planning and management capacity; (2) help mobilize technical and financial resources; (3) and, facilitate the exchange of experience and know-how with other cities and regions around the world. Several significant actions have been taken to bring order out of the environmental chaos that has been wrought over the past four decades. Local consultants were hired to develop an overall framework for addressing the multi-jurisdictional chal-lenge and to conduct a draft environmental profile. An association of 13 of the 16 municipalities (which comprise the urban-industrial core of the Upper Silesia Region) was formed to provide a basis for cooperative dialogue and action. This action resulted in a process called the Consultation, a gathering of political leaders and professionals who agreed to: (1) discuss and clarify key environmental and development issues facing the region; (2) agree on priorities; and, (3) establish procedures for working together. As a part of their deliberation, the UNEP International Environmen-tal Technology Centre contributed the introduction of soft technologies, e.g., environ-mental risk assessment, to the SCP process in Katowice. It was a unique and historic event, involving open discussions among representatives of local governments, university and research institutions, NGOs, newly formed private business interests, and important central government ministries. The Consultation was unique and historic because previous governments had simply not allowed this kind of open, cross-sectoral and inter-governmental dialogue to take place. Out of the Consultation came a formal declaration, stating the consensus that had been achieved and establishing the framework for follow-up actions. One would hope that this Consultation will become an ongoing, institutionalized process of dialogue and decision making among various interests of their civic society. The experience in the Katowice - Upper Silesia Region of Poland to reclaim some of its natural heritage, and turn back the degradation that consumed so much of their vitality as individuals, families and communities, confirms several important principles that form the basis for sustainable development. For sustainable development to happen, there must be:
The case of Katowice and the Upper Silesia Valley in Poland epitomizes the excesses of unsustainable development in a dense urban and industrial setting that has its roots firmly in the past.
The next case study we want to share with you unfolds on the edge of the world'fs largest urban community, Mexico City. With a population that already exceeds 20 million inhabitants, it continues to grow at 3.8 percent, the equivalent of more than 2,000 new citizens every day. There are no weekend breaks or holidays for city and regional officials who must cope with this constant flood of humanity into their midst. Nor is the natural ecosystem that tolerates this relentless migration from the hinterlands well suited for its dubious role as host to those who seek their fortune, however modest, in this sprawling megalopolis. Mexico City is located on a high plateau in the Central Mexican Basin, nearly 6,800 feet above sea level, and the mountains that surround the city are frequented by thermal inversions that foul the air and increase the health risks for those who live in its midst. Those mountains are also a magnet for both rich and poor who see the chance to live above the smog in a relatively pollution free environment. As squatter settlements grew in the mountains surrounding Mexico City, so did the concern of government officials who had responsibility for maintaining the area as an ecological reserve. It is a difficult place to provide any semblance of basic urban services and the spontaneous communities continued to expand in the midst of controversy and concern. The region was a battleground where economic opportunities and environmental reality clashed. The following paragraphs describe efforts by one of those "irregular" communities to: (1) survive the threat of squatters being involuntarily moved from one location to another) and, (2) launch a bold community venture in sustainable development. That venture took place several years before the term, sustainable development, was coined by the specialists. While the citizens of Bosques del Pedregal Barrio, within the larger urban area known as Los Belvederes, achieved the first objective, they ulti-mately abandoned the second. It's a story of grassroots democracy and the difficult challenge local officials face in sustaining the role of Guardian of the Environment.1
Residents of Los Belvederes were spurred into action when the state announced that "expert judgment" called for measures that would eliminate their community. The reasons given included the impossibility of servicing the area because of terrain, the lack of legal titles to the land by those occupying it, and environmental problems. Confronted with the possibility of eviction from the land they had claimed through "squatter's rights," the settlers of Los Belvederes organized a barrio-wide movement called the Popular Front for the Defense of the Settlements in Ajusco. The Front presented its case before a public hearing sponsored by the Coordinating Commission for Development Planning in the Federal District and the Special Commission for the Sierra of Ajusco. Their proposal was "to promote an integral, barrio-based model of urban development to generate jobs and resources and to foster the production of goods in a way that was socially necessary, ecologically valid, and economically viable." What they planned to do would be called, in contemporary terms, sustainable development. The ecology of the area was hardly pristine. It had been subjected to widespread deforestation and pollution for more than three decades. Contiguous to Los Belvederes was an open dump that grew by hundreds of tons of untreated waste each day. One of the settlements within the larger Los Belvederes urban area was the Bosques del Pedregal community. In August, 1984 their citizens made a presentation at a hearing called "An Open Forum on the Ecology of the Southern Zone of Mexico City" proposing to transform their community into a productive ecological settlement, or colonia ecologica productiva (CEP). The Bosques community, from the beginning, operated within a highly organized and politically astute strategy. They created a legal framework for governance (the General Council of Representatives) with full citizen representation at the block level. These Block Assemblies were authorized to resolve problems internal to the block (about 15-20 families), subject to the rules of the association. From all indications, the Council operated effectively as a self appointed government within the Federal District Government. It conducted open and democratic forums, organized essential services, and made plans to engage in a wide range of environmental programmes. Their environmental proposals included: a programme to combat the plague that had infested the trees in their community; reforestation of the zone; establishing compost piles; and defining an approach to development that would transform Bosques into an ecologically productive settlement. Their highly successful efforts in grassroots ecopolitics did not go unnoticed. Five years after the CEP concept was borne as a strategy for preserving their irregular community, the Federal District Government announced it would: back off from efforts to relocate the residents; legally incorporate the area; and, make it eligible for public services. Unfortunately, the vision and enthusiasm for transforming their settlement into a colonia ecologica productiva plummeted as soon as the battle to secure tenure was won. According to Pezzoli's case study, "only a waste-recycling pilot project is actually functioning, and the hope of converting Los Belvederes into an exemplar of sustainable development has all but died. What the squatter communities wanted primarily was a permanent foothold in the city. They were only marginally interested, it seems, in sustainable development."2
Every community around the world must cope with something called nonpoint-source pollution. In the United States, for example, this type of pollution accounts for 80% of the degradation of water, prompting one author to call it "widespread as rain and deadly as poison." Nonpoint-source pollution is the type of unregulated and insidious pollution we are all familiar with but don't take seriously enough. It pours off the land, not from municipal and industrial pipes, and, consequently, seems benign. It is not! It is, therefore, instructive to look briefly at the various ways this type of pollution is generated and how public officials in one rural community are coping with it.
It is easy to dismiss these problems (if you are an urban elected official) as being of little consequence to your community because they are largely rural sources of environmental degradation. You may also be inclined to dismiss them because they describe a situation in the United States and are therefore not relevant to the experience in your country. A quick review of the sources identified above will reveal a set of polluting factors that apply to all environments, regardless of economic or social conditions. The coping mechanisms may be different but the sources are essentially the same and need to be considered in any long-term strategy to engage in sustainable development. Nonpoint-source pollution often has a negative impact on urban environments, although the origins are in many cases rural. In the United States, 44 states report groundwater contamination caused by runoff from farms and ranches. Livestock wastes pollute municipal water supplies. Fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides ultimately make their way into urban households through drinking water supplied from rural communities upstream. Increasingly, each of us has become our neighbor's keeper-or spoiler if we remain callous to the global consequences of our selfish behaviour.
The cases from Poland, Mexico and the United States describe in graphic terms the complexity, diversity and difficulties of the ecological challenges that exist in all regions of planet earth, whether they are north-south, or east-west. Nor is the challenge of fusing economic vitality and environmental preservation (what is often called sustainable development) confined to our own backyards. All nations are responsible for the ecological mess we have created and all must take responsibility for resolving it. The case studies reveal the magnitude and the difficulty you face as councillors in having a significant impact on environmental degradation. On the other hand, they demonstrate the kinds of strategies and ideas you can use in your role of environmental guardian.
It's reflection time again. You have just read three case studies that convey the complexity and pervasive nature of the struggle between development and the environment. Have you learned anything new in reading about these situations that you might use in your community? Were you surprised by any of the situations? Is there one idea in particular that you want to share with others who are interested in the challenges of sustainable development? We urge you to jot down your responses to these questions. 1. New learnings: 2. Surprises: 3. Ideas to share:
It is difficult to over emphasize the environmental crisis that exists around the world. As David Korten reminds us in his new book, When Corporations Rule the World:
depend for food are being depleted faster than nature can regenerate them, and one by one the world's once most productive fisheries are collapsing from over use. Water shortages have become pervasive, not simply from temporary droughts but also from depleted water tables and rivers taxed beyond their ability to regenerate. We hear of communities devastated by the exhaustion of their forests and fisheries and of people much like ourselves discovering that they and their children are being poisoned by chemical and radioactive contamination in the food they eat, the water they drink, and the earth on which we they live and play...As we wait for a technological miracle to resolve these apparent limits on continued economic expansion, some 88 million people are added to the world's population every year.3 "We have meet the enemy and they are us". POGO While uttered by a cartoon character many years ago, this statement pinpoints the responsibility for the dilemma we face in managing our environmental resources. As responsible community leaders, you can either: 1. sink into a state of prolonged despair, allowing the magnitude of the
challenge (Korten has so dramatically portrayed) to consume you; or, Local governments working in collaboration with local businesses and non-governmental organizations are the keystones, the points of greatest leverage, for achieving environmentally sound development. While central governments can establish national standards and distribute scarce resources to address many of the problems inherent in the development-environment schism, the real strength for bringing about sustainable development and protection of our natural heritage abides at the community level. This is why your role as Guardian of the Environment is so important.
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