19 Oct 2012

UNEP / GREEN ECONOMY

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says the aim of achieving food security across the globe will become increasingly elusive unless countries factor nature-based services into agricultural planning as part of a green economy. UNEP / FILE

Posted at: October 19, 2012 3:49 pm

Duration: 02:36

Available in: SD

DOWNLOAD

Full script

STORY: UNEP / GREEN ECONOMY
TRT: 2.36
SOURCE: UNEP / IFAD / UNDP / WORLD BANK
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 16 OCTOBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA

SHOTLIST:

FILE – UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS COMPLEX, NAIROBI, KENYA

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters Complex

16 OCTOBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Alcamo, Chief Scientist, UNEP:
"There is a really strong connection between the green economy and solutions for agriculture and fisheries. If you are going to have a green economy you have to a sector that produces things especially food. So we have the challenge in building a green economy to have an agricultural sector and a fishery sector that are sustainable and compatible with the rest of the green economy."

FILE – IFAD - JULY 2011, MADAGASCAR

3. Tilt up, farmers at work

FILE – WORLD BANK - 2010, MOROCCO

4. Wide shot, farmer digging irrigation bed
5. Close up, farmer

FILE – WORLD BANK - 2011, BRAZIL

6. Med shot, farmers
7. Wide shot, woman watering crops

FILE – IFAD - DECEMBER 2011, BOUNDIALI, CÔTE D'IVOIRE

8. Various shots, woman's cooperative harvesting rice in field 
9. Wide shot, woman's cooperative beating rice to remove the grains
10. Various shots, woman's cooperative putting rice in bags and loading tractor 
11. Various shots, Madame Gnandia Fofana collecting water from well at her home

FILE – IFAD - JANUARY 2012, ESTADO DO RIO GRANDE DO NORTE, BRAZIL

12. Close up, farmer laying down moving sprinkler
13. Med shot, farmers working on lettuce farm, sprinkler in foreground

FILE – IFAD - JANUARY 2012, ESTADO DO RIO GRANDE DO NORTE, BRAZIL

14. Wide shot, man turning on filter tap
15. Med shot, water dripping in filtering system
16. Close up, water dripping in filtering system
17. Close up, dirty water in filtering system
18. Med shot, man working on farm, drip irrigation in foreground

16 OCTOBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Alcamo, Chief Scientist, UNEP:
"For example in the fishery industry we have the case that countries subsidize their fishing industries to the tune of about 25 to 29 billion dollars per year. These are -if you look at it from the ecological standpoint- perverse subsidies because what they lead to in many, many cases is overfishing and drawing down the resources and the self limitation of these companies, so we need to address these subsidies and bring them more in line and put the investments into sustainable equipment and sustainable policies so that our green economy can also have a sustainable fisheries and food production sector."

FILE – UNDP – RECENT, NAMIBIA

20. Various shots, fisherman fishing for tuna
21. Various shots, tuna on fishing boat

FILE – UNDP – RECENT, WALVIS BAY, NAMIBIA

22. Various shots, fish packing factory 
23. Various shots, floor of factory 
24. Various shots, workers cutting fish in factory

STORYLINE:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says the aim of achieving food security across the globe will become increasingly elusive unless countries factor the planet's nature-based services into agricultural and related planning as part of a green economy.

In a report released this week, UNEP said that safeguarding the underlying ecological foundations that support food production, including biodiversity will be central if the world is to feed seven billion inhabitants, climbing to over nine billion by 2050.

The study 'Avoiding Future Famines: Strengthening the Ecological Basis of Food Security through Sustainable Food System' aimed to increase the focus on these crucial aspects, which are being undermined by overfishing, unsustainable water use, environmentally degrading agricultural practices and other human activities.

In an interview, UNEP's Chief Scientist Joseph Alcamo said there was a strong connection between a green economy and solutions for agriculture and fisheries.

He pointed out that a green economy also needed a compatible agricultural and fishery sector. But to get there Alcamo noted some basic economic policies would need to be addressed.

Using as an example the fishery industry, he said that while countries subsidized their fishing industries with about "25 to 29 billion dollars per year", those were, he said, "perverse subsidies because what they lead to in many, many cases is overfishing and drawing down the resources and the self limitation of these companies".

Alcamo proposed to invest instead in sustainable equipment and policies to create a sustainable fisheries and food production sector.

The report, produced in collaboration with other international organizations including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), took a holistic approach to analyzing the food system.

Twelve scientists and experts authored the report, covering many different areas of expertise including food consumption patterns, agricultural production, marine fisheries and inland fisheries. They issued a raft of recommendations to shore up ecological foundations and create the conditions for sustainable food production.