Nothing but flowers

It was 1988 and some of my favorite bands were writing their best music. One of those songs, David Byrne’s upbeat Nothing but Flowers, described with nostalgia, a post apocalyptic world in which modern technology had been eliminated. The song reflected growing environmental concerns such as deforestation, energy and waste.

Here we stand, 30 years after the release of that song, reading about the New York Climate Week where events next week will promote the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

On September 10th, I attended the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s address on climate change in New York, calling for urgent and ambitious climate action. He appealed for leadership from politicians, business, scientists and the public everywhere. He called on women’s leadership in particular, because “when women are empowered to lead, they are the drivers of solutions”.

David Byrne’s utopian world of highways and cars sacrificed by agriculture and parking lots replaced by peaceful oasis longed for the conveniences of the developed world. But how developed are we really?

Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, will require a significant shift towards more sustainable business practices and consumer behavior by 2030. Car sales have changed lives, cities, produced jobs and elected presidents. It is estimated that 81.5 million cars will be sold in the world by the end of 2018[1]. That is twice the number of worldwide car sales between 1990 and 1999.

Great responsibility comes with sustainability. We still have a long way to go to reach the sustainable development goals. We need a lot more data to measure progress to implement all those agreed targets. Moderation, creativity, flexibility, leadership and commitment will be key in this process.

“When world leaders signed the Paris Agreement on climate change three years ago, they pledged to stop temperatures rising by less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to work to keep the increase as close as possible to 1.5 degrees.” In 2 weeks, governments will consider the final IPCC special report on the impacts of a global warming of 1.5 °C.

“Scientists have been telling us for decades. Far too many leaders have refused to listen”, UN Secretary General Guterres said. “It’s our moral duty”.

And as things fell apart…nobody paid much attention…

A call for help of this magnitude should not be brushed off. We’re all accountable for the natural resources that sustain our lives. Imagine a modern world without all the conveniences and services that we have today.

Where, where is the town? Now...it's nothing but flowers…

You got it. Connect the dots, look at the data and listen to the evidence-based information. We’re not powerless and we’re not irresponsible. We share the same dreams of those richer or poorer. You may want more or you may wish for a simpler life. But if our temperatures continue to rise, our cities don’t run well, pollution affects our health, homes flood with every other storm, our land is degraded, our water scarce, our corals and fish die, our governments are corrupt and our economies sink, we will all have failed to achieve our common goals. “We know what is happening to our planet. We know what we need to do. And we even know how to do it”, Guterres added.

Don't leave me stranded here. I can’t get used to this lifestyle.

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UN Secretary General's remarks on Climate Change: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2018-09-10/secretary-generals-remarks-climate-change-delivered

Nothing but flowers - official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2twY8YQYDBE

Lyrics - https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/2734414

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[1] www.statistita.com