Helsinki Declaration on the
Environment 1990
Liberal International
Congress 1990, Finland
I. The Liberal Commitment
to the Environment
This Congress recalls the long standing
engagement of liberal forces the world over
in the field of promoting ecologically sustainable
development.
In particular it recalls
:
- the Liberal Declaration
of Oxford (1967), where it was stated that
"the community has a special responsibility
to protect natural resources from indiscriminate
development, either by public or private
interests";
- the Liberal Appeal of
1981, where a strong warning was issued
about "the deterioration in the 'terms
of exchange' between man and nature due
to the increasing pressure of population
and its demands";
- the call - made
in the same Appeal - for "massive energy
conservation and the development of renewable
and ecologically safe energy resources";
- the plea - also issued
in the Appeal of 1981 - for "a more
just distribution of wealth" between
North and South, which requires that "the
industrialised societies drastically reduce
their waste of raw materials and non-renewable
energy resources";
- the resolution passed
by the 1984 congress concerning transnational
air pollution, where all governments were
urged "to take active steps to reduce
sulphur dioxide emissions from industry
and power stations";
- the resolution issued
at the 1986 Congress, where the proposal
of the "development and implementation
of a worldwide environmental policy",
based on the principles of prevention, liability
and cooperation was made and where "to
instill as accepted thinking that ecology
and economy are not contradictory"
was formulated as one of the main objectives
of such a policy;
- the resolution adopted
at the 1987 Congress backing the recommendations
of the World Commission on Environment and
Development;
- the resolutions accepted
by the 1988 Congress on toxic waste and
acid rain, the latter calling for accelerated
efforts "to arrive at a strong international
protocol to reduce pollution by oxides of
nitrogen";
- the resolution passed
by the 1989 Congress stressing international
environmental cooperation and demanding
special attention to ecological issues in
the CSCE process as well as in development
cooperation.
Fortunately, there is a
growing awareness now among the world population
and their political leaders that for the
long-term safeguarding of our planet and
the maintenance of its ecological balance,
joint effort and action is necessary.
While striving to preserve
the global environment, it is important
to work at the same time to ensure stable
development of the world economy, in line
with the concept of sustainable development.
All countries, especially industrialised
countries, should recognise the need to
make their socio-economic activities and
life-styles environmentally sound.
II. Liberal Principles
Regarding Mankind's Relationship with Nature
This Congress reiterates that from a liberal
point of view the complex relationship between
mankind and nature must be viewed as a stewardship.
Mankind has a moral responsibility to use
common sense and creativity to preserve
and enhance good living conditions for all
living things. Liberals reject laissez-faire
exploitaation of nature and, bearing in
mind that man alone can take responsibility
for the future of our planet, reject the
view of those who put equal value on the
lives of human beings and other living things.
No generation has a freehold
on this earth. The protection of the environment
is of the same order as the protection of
human rights. Infringements should be seen
as a violation of individual and communal
rights.
It is the responsibility
of both citizens and enterprises to avoid
and prevent unacceptable and irreparable
damage inflicted upon the environment. Unloading
present environmental problems on future
generations is irreconcilable with the liberal
principle of accepting one's own responsibility.
This congress states that
liberal environmental policy starts from
the premise that it is a fundamental right
to have clean air, soil, water and a quiet
environment. Furthermore, liberals emphasise
the significance of undisturbed natural
environments and diverse flora and fauna.
This intricately links environmental issues
with questions of justice and distribution
of wealth. This is particularly evident
with regard to those parts of the world
which do not have a single owner, such as
the seas, rain forests, air etc.
The issue of environmental
protection is not something that only the
rich countries can afford to worry about.
If nature turns malevolent, poor countries
have in fact much more to lose than the
rich. This fact implies an interdependence
of environmental policies with development
strategies.
This Congress endorses the
definition of sustainable development given
by the United Nations' World Commission
on Environment and Development, namely "development
that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs".
III. The Main International
Issues for a Liberal Policy on the Environment
This Congress states that a large and growing
number of ecological problems know neither
political nor geographical borders. In fact
the protection of the environment has become
a global issue and, therefore, must - like
peace and disarmament - figure amongst the
highest priorities of international cooperation.
No summit whether on a bilateral or multilateral
level should be held without environmental
issues being high on the agenda.
Three challenges stand out
in the field of international environmental
cooperation :
- the environment and North-South
relations;
- the environment and the
profound changes in the formerly communist
world;
- global environmental dangers.
Within the framework of
North-South cooperation urgent solutions
are required for :
- the problems of large
and ever-increasing populations;
- poverty as a cause of
environmental damage;
- the problems of habitat
destruction in the tropics and the consequent
extinction of animal and plant species;
- environmental destruction
caused by rapid industrialisation and growth
of demand in the South;
- the continuing inequity
in the consumption of raw materials and
non-renewable energy sources between North
and South.
Concerning the formerly
communist countries the main challenges
are :
- the massive environmental
destruction perpetrated;
- the huge pent up demands
for matching Western standards of living;
- the introduction of an
ecologically sustainable market economy.
On the global level several
environmental problems are emerging as a
threat to our survival. While it is essential
that research facilities are strengthened,
action in such areas as global warming or
the destruction of the ozone layer must
not be further delayed with the argument
that scientific data is incomplete. In fact
one has to remember that in environmental
protection, prevention is generally several
times cheaper than cleaning up pollution
afterwards.
In order to solve each environmental
problem the most suitable organisation and
the most effective approach should be chosen
in every instance.
For global problems, such
as global man-made emissions of greenhouse
gases and the depletion of the ozone layer,
the United Nations are the best instrument.
This Congress feels that there should be
established a UN Council for the Environment,
with a status and authority similar to that
of the Security Council. A new article on
the subject will then have to be added to
the Charter of the UN.
A non-governmental organisation
for monitoring purposes, comparable to the
much-respected Amnesty International structure,
should be set up, as individuals and governments
may be slow to recognise their responsibilities
and respond to the global requirements.
IV. Proposals for
Action
Introduction:
Population growth and the
increasing use of energy are the two principal
developments which will cause environmental
problems in the near future, in case of
unaltered policy.
Population growth implies:
- increased use of space
and natural resources at the expense of
nature and environment (inter alia erosion);
- increased food production
to meet basic needs, resulting in growing
use of pesticides and fertilisers affecting
the quality of soil and ground water;
- increased use of energy.
The growing use of energy
is a contributory cause of:
- the greenhouse effect
(CO2 gases);
- acid rain (forests);
- climate change.
Therefore fundamental decisions
have to be taken in these two areas in order
to avert imminent threats to the environment.
This Congress appeals to
national governments, regional organisations,
international bodies and, in particular,
to the members of the Liberal International
to work for the speedy realisation of the
following proposals for action:
The tailoring of economic
policies in the industrialised and in the
developing countries in accordance with
sustainable development
This requires first and
foremost the recognition of the fact that
renewable resources must be exploited in
ways that allow them to maintain their productive
capacity and protective function. The stock
of non-renewable resources will of course
decrease when exploited, but market economy
and scientific development can meet problems
of shortages by promoting new technologies,
recycling and conservation. Sustainable
development does not mean zero economic
growth. It represents growth within the
bounds set by the need to maintain the environmental
capital, it means changing the signals given
to economic decision makers.
Changing these signals means
changing prices and using the market. The
state controls should be restricted to the
setting of maximum total levels of pollution,
whereas the market forces should be given
every opportunity to employ the economically
most effective technology to produce goods
and services in an ecologically sustainable
manner. To achieve this it is necessary
to ensure that prices reflect the true value
of the environmental assets used up or damaged
in the production of goods and services.
Environmental fees and taxes - such as for
example a tax on the use of non-renewable
and/or polluting energy - should be collected
according to the principle that the polluter
pays. These environmental taxes must not,
however, be imposed in a way that unduly
burdens individuals with limited income.
Care should be taken that the total tax
burden is not increased unnecessarily, and
that such taxes and fees are raised within
a framework of international coordination
so that no advantage is given to countries
that offer deliberately low levels of taxation
and environmental protection. Revenue from
environmental taxation should initially
be used for activities in the field of environmental
protection and, in the long run, to alleviate
other forms of taxation. The role of regional
economic associations, such as the European
Community, in creating effective international
schemes of environmental taxation needs
to be emphasised in order to avoid distortion
of economic competition between nations
and corporations.
Furthermore, the goal of
sustainable development can only be achieved
through a fundamental reform of governmental
policies on subsidies. Subsidies and price
controls artificially influence prices,
giving the illusion that some things are
in plentiful supply when they are not. Throughout
the world water is wasted because it is
too cheap and farmers both in the industrialised
and in the developing countries are encouraged
to use an excess of environmentally damaging
pesticides and fertilisers. The further
development of agriculture must be a sustainable
one. Price support also takes away the incentive
to pursue mixed farming and instead encourages
monocultures. An environment-sensitive agricultural
policy makes due allowance for the distinctive
features of agricultural production to create
a tax system that is adapted to its special
requirements. Consumers have to accept the
fact that ecologically-grown food will cost
more.
The effective reduction
of the unsustainably high rate of population
growth
This requires that in the
field of development assistance much more
money is made available for measures in
the areas of population control and family
planning. Such measures must cover a wide
field of initiatives, from assisting developing
countries in setting up social security
systems to development strategies aimed
at improving the status and education of
women.
It further requires that
governments make family planning a mandatory
component of their basic health programmes.
Family planning measures in order to be
successful must be implemented within a
democratic framework and must be voluntary.
It finally requires that
leaders of religious and social institutions
influence their followers to adopt and implement
family planning and at the same time promote
the emancipation of women.
All nations are to commit
themselves to follow the resolutions on
population issues adopted at the Population
Forum in Amsterdam, 1989.
The linking of development
aid programmes with environmental protection
This requires that environmental
protection be included, from the planning
stage onwards, in all development aid programmes
and that multi as well as bilateral donors
dedicate an increasing part of their development
aid budgets to activities connected with
the protection of the environment and the
biological diversity.
It furthermore requires
that governments in developing countries
extend the rights of local communities to
own, utilise and protect natural resources
and to take part in decisions regarding
their own environment. This is of particular
importance with regard to prevention of
deforestation and renewal of tree cover.
Massive investments in agroforestry and
afforestation (which must be part of internationally
sponsored development programmes) can only
be implemented in a meaningful way, if they
are integrated with basic services such
as water supply, waste disposal, food production
and health care.
It also requires an innovative
approach towards the partial cancellation
of foreign debt in exchange for conservation
measures by the debtor government.
The up-grading of environmental
issues on the political agenda of global
and regional cooperation
In order to achieve the
goals of sustainable development, the United
Nations Charter should be revised to include
the environmental aspects and provide the
world organisation with the means to implement
the environmental protection measures necessary
for achieving these goals.
The United Nations Environmental
Programme (UNEP) should be given a strengthened
authority in its field of action, and the
budget of the organisation should be increased
significantly.
This requires first and
foremost that within existing and evolving
frameworks of regional cooperation such
as the EC and ASEAN, the common standards
of environmental policies must be based
on the most progressive legislation amongst
the community members and not on the lowest
common denominator. Differences of intensity
with which environmental policy is pursued
should be considered also in the GATT talks.
In the special case of East
and Central Europe it requires the granting
of long-term loans and technical support
in order to reduce pollution and to promote
environmentally sounder production processes.
The finances needed for this should not
be taken from aid budgets for developing
countries.
Where regional cooperation
is still in its infancy such as in Central
and South America, in Africa and South Asia,
environmental issues can serve as a useful
and important platform for promoting and
concretising regional cooperation. This
is of particular importance in regions where
political and military tensions prevent
even the most elementary aspects of cooperation
such as in the Middle East and in certain
parts of Africa.
The accelerated implementation
of policies for the protection of the global
climate
On a global level the most
pressing challenge is the protection of
the world's climate. This is both a technological
and a political challenge. While the rich
countries got richer they polluted freely
and exploited those resources that they
now want low-income countries to conserve.
Clearly the future increase in greenhouse
gases will come mainly from the developing
world. Of the approximately 3.5 billion
people currently living in developing countries,
some 2 billion are still dependent on traditional
sources of energy such as firewood, charcoal
as well as plant or animal remains. The
diminishing size of the forest reserves
in these countries contrasts with a growth
in energy needs.
This requires that both
in the developing and the industrialised
countries renewable energy sources be given
higher priority, and that the latter should
invest seriously in the research and implementation
of appropriate technologies which then should
be shared with the developing countries.
This requires further that
governments in the industrialised countries
agree as soon as possible to reduce their
consumption of fossil energy significantly,
setting as a target the freezing of carbon
dioxide emissions at the present level to
the year 2000 and further reductions in
the next decades. In the field of electricity,
energy-saving and improved efficiency is
the most cost-effective way of slowing down
global warming. It is not possible to achieve
the 50% reduction in energy consumption
by the year 2010, as anticipated by the
Brundtland Commission by building more nuclear
power plants. The key long-term objective
should be to base energy production on renewable
energy sources, such as solar, wind and
water power, and to multiply resources to
extend research of these forms of energy.
Complementary to this, the global community
should seek to increase the volume of biomass-binding
organic carbon, which implies that forest
regeneration and planting should be given
top priority in global development programmes.
This Congress firmly
believes that, within one generation, two
essential goals must be achieved:
1 all working methods and
procedures to be based on the principle
of sustainable development in industrialised
and developing countries;
2 existing pollution to
be cleaned up to the extent that it will
be under control in order not to have adverse
effects on future generations.
Last but not least: the
quality of the environment does not affect
only the globe, nature, the climate, natural
resources, future generations. The health
of human beings, living today, is at stake
as well. On December 7th and 8th 1989, at
Frankfurt-am-Main, the Ministers of the
Environment and of Health of the member
States of the European Region of the World
Health Organisation met together for the
first time and adopted the European Charter
on Environment and Health and agreed upon
the principles and strategies laid down
therein as a firm commitment to action.
The LI Congress calls upon all governments,
when deciding upon policy affecting the
environment, to take into account the dependence
of human health on a wide range of crucial
environmental factors and to pay attention
to the vital importance of preventing health
hazards by protecting the environment.
The Ministerial Conference
on Atmospheric Pollution and Climatic Change
held in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, in November
1989 produced the Noordwijk Declaration,
a unique document which is very valuable.
The issues will be further elaborated by
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic
Change and by the Second World Climate Conference
in Geneva, in November 1990. |