February 3, 2002	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 19, 1422

UNITED NATIONS: People perceive the global environment as having worsened since the 1992 Earth Summit, a 25-nation public opinion survey reveals.

The survey, conducted late last year and released here this week, covered some 25,000 citizens worldwide and interviewed about 300 influential environmentalists.

In Argentina, about 83 per cent of those polled complained that their country’s environmental quality has deteriorated over the last 10 years. The corresponding figure for South Korea was 81 per cent, for Russia 73 per cent, for Turkey 71, for Brazil and Italy 69 per cent each, for Mexico 64 and for Kazakhstan 62 per cent.

Half of people surveyed across the 25 countries said they think environmental quality has deteriorated while four in 10 believed it has improved. The number of people who think the environment has greatly worsened exceeds those who think it has greatly improved two-to-one.

Conducted by the Canada-based Environics International Ltd, the survey was funded by the World Bank and released in the run- up to the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) scheduled to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa Aug 26- Sept 4.

Six in 10 experts surveyed believe that the transition to sustainable development is progressing “too slowly to avert major, irreversible damage to human, social and ecosystem health”.

The experts say they look to the upcoming WSSD to produce “time-bound commitments” on key environmental issues, including climate change, energy, water, and poverty eradication.

Last week, the US rejected a proposal for time bound commitments for doubling official development assistance (ODA) to the world’s poorer nations from the current $50 billion to $100 billion annually.

The US rejection came at a preparatory committee meeting for the upcoming International Conference on Financing for Development scheduled to take place in Mexico in March.

The proposed increase, also supported by UN Secretary- General Kofi An Annan, was aimed at eradicating poverty globally.

Environmental experts interviewed for the survey said that poverty is not only a critical subject for WSSD but also “an essential puzzle in addressing environment and global security issues.”

The overall findings of the survey also reflect the views expressed by Annan, who has complained that the international community has fallen short of its promises to prevent the deterioration of the global environment.

World leaders at the Earth Summit in 1992 promised to eradicate poverty, change patterns of consumption and production, save the world’s eco systems and prevent global deforestation. But most of these pledges, says Annan, have remained unfulfilled or missed their 10 year-old targets.

Doug Miller, president of Environics International, told reporters that it would be a mistake for world leaders meeting in Johannesburg to offer glowing reports of progress.

—Dawn/InterPress Service.