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Jewish Perspectives on Sustainable Economies
Jewish Council for Public Affairs Agenda for
1999-2000
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The JCPA supports: substantial foreign aid and
technical assistance to developing nations for
environmental protection, sustainable economic
development and family planning; U.S. ratification
of international environmental treaties and provisions
in trade agreements to protect the environment;
efforts to address environmental degradation and
resource shortages in regions where such developments
might lead to either mass migration or armed conflict;
incentives for the revitalization of cities through
environmentally responsible "Brownfields"
programs; policies based on pricing, taxation,
and other incentives that lead to the reduction
of the level of U.S. per capita consumption of
energy, paper, metals, and other resources; land-use
and transportation policies to contain urban sprawl,
promote the redevelopment of cities, and protect
open spaces; protection of agricultural lands
and public health through programs to conserve
soil, safeguard groundwater, regulate chemical
and animal waste runoff from farms and livestock
facilities; the promotion of organic and sustainable
agricultural practices; the adoption of internal
conservation and waste-reduction policies including
recycling, the use of recycled and energy-efficient
products, and the elimination of hazardous pesticides
and cleaning supplies by all households and communal
organizations.
Background: With world population expected to
grow to between 7 and 11 billion in the middle
of the next century (up from the current 6 billion)
and several vital global natural resources already
reaching their limits, the time is long overdue
for the international community to address issues
of global resource consumption and international
equity. |
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While U.S. citizens
consume enormous amounts of the world's resources,
hundreds of millions of people worldwide lack
access to clean water, sufficient food, safe shelter,
and basic health care.
As we enter the 21st century, the U.S. is challenged
both to reduce our level of resource consumption
and to assist developing nations in stabilizing
their populations while economically expanding
in environmentally benign ways. Despite these
grave challenges, Congress continues to reduce
or deny funding for international family planning
programs, foreign aid, and domestic conservation
and development of alternative technologies. The
organized Jewish community, with our partners
from other religious and ethnic communities, will
increasingly be called upon to articulate the
moral imperative to adopt domestic and foreign
policies which promote the development and use
of environmentally clean technologies in the U.S.
and abroad, to reduce dramatically overall consumption
of natural resources, to stabilize world population,
and to effect a more equitable distribution of
wealth around the world.
Jewish Council for Public Affairs Agenda for
2000-2001 DEVELOPMENT,
TRADE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The JCPA supports increased foreign aid for
environmental protection, sustainable economic
development, and family planning in developing
countries. |
