Comment: Our children’s grandchildren’s world

I am working for a more just world. At the same time, parents all over the world want their children to have a better life than they have had. This is why we must promote economic growth and create jobs and security for millions of people. We must encourage the use of more climate friendly technology and more sustainable development. And those who create most pollution must also do most to cut emissions.

The Maldives are by no means among these nations, yet the island state ranks high on the list of countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The low lying coral islands are susceptible to the threat of seasonal storms, high tides and long term sea level rise – factors which probably will be more intense and frequent in the future. Sustainable development in the Maldives is indeed linked to the effective local, national and global management of the environment and natural resources.

This year it is 20 years since sustainable development first hit the agendas of world leaders, when Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian prime minister at that time, launched this new approach to development and environment at the World Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In June, world leaders will once again gather in Rio. This next UN summit – Rio+20 – will be a new opportunity to agree on how to achieve growth and welfare and at the same time protect the environment.