An eco-smart society for all

Johan Rockström, Executive Director, Stockholm Environment Institute

Seven billion people share the earth, and together we are facing a new reality – a new era in which people are the dominant force for change on our planet. For the first time, we have scientific evidence that we have used almost all our environmental space on the globe. No longer can we rule out dire, dire consequences if we continue on the same path.

This presents us with a huge social justice dilemma. The way I commute to work in Stockholm directly affects whether a Kenyan farmer can produce food for his family. The way companies and communities manage the Amazon rainforests affects rainfall patterns and temperatures in Africa. My consumption affects the rate that ice melts in Antarctica. This determines how the Inuit live – and it also affects weather patterns for you and me, because Antarctica is a key regulator of global climate.

All countries face the challenge of cooperating in a global shift towards an eco-smart society for all: now and in the future. What is certain is that science today shows there is no competition between environment and progress. Quite the opposite: a sustainable environment is the basis for development and wellbeing, for rich and poor economies alike.

Miljölinsen: 'environmental lens'

The Miljölinsen “environmental lens” is an analytical tool that helps partner organisations and companies in Asia, Africa and Latin America to promote sustainable development by boosting their skills, expertise and capacity. Diakonia designed Miljölinsen in close cooperation with the environmental network for Swedish development NGOs and Sida Partnership Forum.
www.diakonia.se
www.forumsyd.org
www.utangranser.se

Partner support

The National Land Survey partners with the government of Botswana on land rights. The city of Göteborg has business relations with Nelson Mandela Bay in South Africa. The University Hospital of Lund works closely with the National Hospital of Paediatrics in Vietnam to improve care of sick Vietnamese children. Sida supports Swedish participants and their partners abroad.

Sida has provided support to five slum neighbourhoods in Nicaragua since the early 1990s. Today, these areas serve as a model for how joint infrastructure and cultural projects can promote urban city development and local democracy.

Huruma is one of Nairobi’s many slums. Local youths have built biogas toilets with support from Diakonia partner the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK). The initiative provides income to the local youth group and reduces fatal diarrhoea infections and the use of charcoal. Climate-friendly development in a nutshell. 
www.sida.se
www.sida.se/iap

På Svenska

      

Nazife Jonuzi, Kosovo
Nazife is director of Liria Women’s Centre, a refuge for abused women and children from various ethnic groups in Kosovo. The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation partners with Liria Women’s Centre to counteract violence against women.
www.kvinnatillkvinna.se



Zainab Osman, Sudan
“I voted for the first time in my life. It was very emotional because women weren’t allowed to vote in the past, even though we make up more than 60% of the population,” says Zainab. Sida contributes more than 45 million kronor (£4.3 million) to UN Women and women’s movements in South Sudan to support women’s rights.
www.unwomen.org

© Aaron Atteridge

Cooking with cleaner energy
In Zambia, as in other parts of the world, food is prepared by simple means using wood and stone fireplaces or coal-fired metal ovens. Collecting fuel for these takes time and costs money. The smoke they emit is a health risk and contributes to air pollution and regional warming.

Aaron Atteridge of the Stockholm Environment Institute researches how Zambian households can access more efficient, cleaner energy sources. As part of his research, he is investigating which technology, financing and support is best suited to Zambia.
www.sei-international.org

Inacio Yemusee Dyaha, Mozambique
Inacia works as a welder and bicycle repairman in northern Mozambique. Since his village gained electricity, his welding unit works better, he earns more money, and his family of seven has bought a refrigerator. Sida has supported Mozambique’s energy sector since 1979.
www.sida.se

Samia and Hamida Khatun, Jessore, Bangladesh
Samia’s school has improved since parents developed the school with support from Transparency International’s local organization in Jessore. Sida gives 5 million kronor to help Transparency International Bangladesh prevent corruption.
www.transparency.org