Primaterra

Some people say we live in a period of abundance and well-being. They sustain that the industrial and technological developments have brought human beings the posibility to satisfy all their needs: subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, leisure and free time, identity, freedom.

Nevertheless, only a minority benefits from the above: the Northern societies and Southern well-off classes. As a result, a quarter of the world population consumes 75 per cent of the planet’s energy and also produces more than 80 per cent of the CO2 emissions. To this has to be added the unequal distribution of the contaminants, the rich or industrialised countries need places to throw their bin, and it seems inevitable that they should solve this problem using the South as a rubbish dump. On the other hand, the environmental laws tighten in the North has unleashed the emigration of polluting industries and toxic wastes to the South. Sadly, this is not all, the desertification, defforestation, erosion and degration of soils and other problems originated by the current development, make millions of people being deprived of their survival base, such as the local farming, and makes their survival more and more difficult.

The well-being of some people is based on the discomfort of others, if we desire avoiding further environmental destruction and the increase of poverty, we must start changing the consumption habits of rich classes and countries.

It is necessary to find or create different ways to satisfy our needs. It is essential to advance towards the construction of a fair society which insures an equitable and sustaintable distribution of natural resources.

What we have seen until now creates a need to inform ourselves in depth. If we have sufficient knowledge of our societies, we will be able to press to get the adoption of necessary measures to improve the life quality of all beings and, at the same time, respect the planet.