Most of the "New" Policy Documents - be on Environment or Education or Employment or even on the recent policy treatises in vogue that are mushrooming on "building back better post-COVID19 era," have one thing in common.
They are all led by thought leaders of earlier generations. We all know that the these old generations are characterised by the damages they have caused toour planet's natural assets which in reality are so carefully nurtured through billions of years of evolution of the ecosystem.
No disrespect is intended at all towards old generation. What comes to my mind is that the same old generation, particularly from developed countries who have become rich at the cost of planet's natural asset, is now leading making of the new policy documents. On top they want the new and young generation to implement those policies!
You see contradiction here?
Albert Einstein, whose discovery of theory of relativity from times of old generation would remain for ever with future generations to come, said "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them".
The time has come that youth make their own policies and also implement them. The old generations should abandon leading the policy making and take backseat and only provide their lessons, positive or (mostly) negative. If they are relevant, the young drivers would adopt them,
As the policies are still drafted by earlier generation and as they are based on old thinking, the current system is weighted towards destruction, not preservation. That may appear strong statement coming from former UN official like me, but that's what exactly UN SG Antonio Guterres said recently.
For example:
- The world must reconsider how GDP is calculated, reflecting nature's true value in all policies, plans and economic systems. Costa Rica, full of extraordinary natural assets, and with sustainability policies is still categorised as developing country. And Great Briton that ruled over more than 60 countries and stripped of their natural assets to build their own unsustainable economy is called developed country! The reason is economics that does not account for natural assets and depreciation due to damages.
- It is time that youth redefine the GDP and start internalising the cost of economic profit against the loss and damage ( in majority of cases irreversible) to the environment.
- Time is ripe to adopt to green economy, stop green washing and practice new policies where nature is taken forgranted as 'free commodity'.
The Global Economy increased almost fivefold in the past fifty years, but that growth was at a massive cost to the environment. Urgent need is to reflect nature's true value in all our policies, plans and economic systems.
That can only be done if new policymaking is led by youth. Today's youth in the Universities are tomorrows policy makers. That's the reason why Smart Campus Cloud Network (SCCN) not only emphasises implementation of relevant SDGs in the campus but also strongly encourages policyresearch to test the new policies in the campus so that they build the skills to lead national, regional and global 'new' policies and implement them.
Rajendra Shende
Chairman, TERRE Policy Centre
Former Director, UNEP
IIT Alumnus