Environment should be given top priority

Environmental sustainability should not just be a matter of protocol given to us by our governments — it is something that needs to be heeded as practice. What’s most disheartening is the fact that today, the environment is viewed as secondary and not as integral to our existence. It is pivotal that our governments and political bodies collaborate to incorporate environmental mainstreaming. Politicians don’t regard the issue as one of utmost importance and hence, it doesn’t get the attention it requires. There are still not many governments that consider poverty and environment to be complementary to each other, while certain others believe that money makes a difference, and ‘capitalism and the environment are not compatible’. While making rules, a governmental body has to take into consideration the understanding of the capabilities of environmental assets, the consequence of environmental hazards, and the real or potential impact of development on the environment. However, several constraints make it difficult to bring the environment into the mainstream. Firstly, the prevailing development paradigm treats the environment as an institutional and economic externality. Secondly, there exists a lack of data, information, skills and institutional capacity to work on environment-development links. Thirdly, there have been weak environmental mainstreaming initiatives to date, to act as a precedent, and probably even a lack of political will for change. These issues need to be combated and tackled in order to make it a better world not just for you and me, but for everyone. From Ms Mariam Seddiqi Student based in Sharjah