Food and Population Roundtable Statement

Science for Peace and Canadian Pugwash,
Global Issues Project
Global Sustainability Education Concepts

FOOD AND POPULATION ROUNDTABLE November 20 - 21, 2009

Written by Julia Morton-Marr. Edited by Adele Buckley, Heiner Benking, Richard Schwartz, Helmut Burkhardt, and others at Science for Peace.

Recommendations to the Interdisciplinary Roundtable:

1. Whereas the outcome statement from the Global Issues Project, Climate Change and Energy Roundtable, ‘Wasan Action Framework’ held in September 2007, identified the root causes of many crises, identified the large and growing human population as a root cause of many current crises; and

2. Whereas the world is rapidly approaching an unprecedented climate catastrophe and is also severely and increasingly threatened by deforestation, rapid species extinction, soil erosion, desertification, air and water pollution, scarcities of water, energy and other valuable resources and other environmental threats; and

3. Whereas the Club of Rome identified the population growth paradigm in 1972 in the “Limits of Growth” and little has been achieved to slow the growing population; and

4. Whereas we are currently at the mid-point of the ‘UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development’ (UNDESD 2005-2009); and given that UNESCO held a 5 year International congress which unanimously endorsed the ‘Bonn Declaration’; and given that the Declaration (subsequently unanimously endorsed by UNESCO) emphasizes the need for improved educational efforts worldwide regarding food security, health, biodiversity, climate change, lifestyle changes, risk reduction, healthy water, and sustainable economies; and

5. Whereas many universities and Ministries of Education are re-orienting education towards sustainability; and

6. Whereas long term existence of human civilization must be the main value in Sustainability Education and curriculum decision-making for the future.

WE urge action by all Ministers & Departments of Education and Health within Governments, Universities, Schools, Colleges and Communities to:

7. Examine population issues in depth within Sustainability Education curricula, as a life saving value, on the basis that all humans have the right to exist.

8. Educate for long term sustainability, using interdisciplinary methods of system science. Teach the negative effects of compounding forest removal, increasing agricultural land use for housing, roads and other non-agricultural purposes, and the burgeoning population increase, thus placing all species at risk because of the resultant food & water insecurity.

9. Promote the importance of plant-based diets, and encourage major reductions in the animal-based portions of Western diets. Animal-based diets contribute significantly to many diseases, climate change, deforestation, species extinction, soil erosion, water and air pollution, decertification, and wasteful use of water, land, and energy.

10. Develop population programs and sex-ed curricula that develops awareness and knowledge on current population and food crises, to empower lifestyle changes.

We call upon our governments and education systems to involve their entire citizenry in positive actions to achieve the following goals:

11. Provide training and government support to prevent food wastage, in a way that is applicable to the differing social structures of both developed and developing countries.

12. Support the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization’s work on the severe global food crisis. and increase sharing food as part of the global larder.

13. Re-construct soils by organic agricultural methods, and use bio-carbon sequestration with the intent to restore lost carbon. Establish gardening and re-cultivation schemes in rural and urban areas, to re-create fertile soils and reverse desertification.

14. Grow food in many local gardens and promote the purchasing of locally grown food. A useful example: IHTEC’s International School Peace Gardens program.

15. Remove all products that degrade species procreation hormones, with particular focus on plastics.

16. Ban all products that deplete the ozone, as increased UV radiation decreases crop yields.

17. Empower women to achieve lower birthrates through sex education, and promotion of the use of condoms and abstinence.

Media & Laws

18. Remove advertising of sex and fertility drugs on TV around the world. Instead use TV, Radio programs and Magazines to promote women’s health and population stability.

19. Involve NGO’s, women’s networks and computer networking with these messages.

20. Facilitate workshops for governments, and encourage local and national governmental officials to champion the issues of food and population.

Poverty and Women’s Health and Equality

21. Wherever food or agricultural aid (e.g. crop seeds, goats etc. ) is provided, deliver condoms and education.

22. Encourage women’s meetings and dovetail sex education with other programs, as already practiced by the Grameen Bank, which gives micro loans in Bangladesh.

23. Empower women in developing countries to provide community education on population issues and family planning. Population is a women’s health issue.

24. Include mothers and daughters in western countries in the process of population education.

25. Involve fathers and sons in conception education. Men must understand the implications of additional children for their families and for society.

26. Engender respect and equality for women in all societies.

27. Use dance, dramatic presentations and soap opera’s to help educate people about birth control and other population-related issues.

Religious Communities

28. Involve all organized religions as well as interfaith groups. Globally, all must recognize that all life on earth is at risk.

29. Request all religious groups to accept and teach these population and food concepts.