Local Governments and Their Role in the Solution of the Environmental Problems
Our Planet is in danger. Every day and every hour the Earth is sending us signals to which we must pay attention -and it’s not only the so called “global warming”: ecological catastrophes are in increasing numbers, natural resources are depleting, animal and plant species are disappearing…
Environmental issues are complex, far from fully understood and open to a variety of approaches. Only one thing is absolutely clear: something has to be done if we want to save the Planet: something more practical, something more effective that what we’ve been doing till now. We must “hear within us the sounds of the Earth crying”, as said Zen poet Thich Nhat Hanh.
Of all the dangers we face, the greatest one could be the deadening of our response. We must act now and our response should be planned and organized by some capable entity. We must not only prevent environmental degradation, but also develop the short-term and the long-term solutions that enable quick and effective response to environmental threats, natural disasters and humanitarian crises. We think that these leading entities could be and should be the local governments – the “closest-to-the-problem” key players in environmental, heritage and biodiversity management.
There are good reasons for focusing international concern on local governments because every environmental issue is a “local” environmental issue. Even when the environmental problems capture the attention of higher authorities, the local governments in which they are located always have a profound and enduring interest that should transform the social concern into tangible and measurable actions.
Local governments are the link in the chain of power that is closest to the people and to the environment. They set many strategic, long-term environmental policies especially in the realm of land-use planning and also take small decisions and actions each day that cumulatively make the real difference in regional environment, biodiversity and heritage values.
In many countries, municipalities have taken the lead on environmental issues in the absence of strong national, federal or state action. Some of them are making progress in mandating more efficient city buildings, promoting recycling, designing detailed plans on how to cut greenhouse gas emissions and many other efforts…, but we all know that it’s not enough. There seems to be a big lack of urgency in today’s performance.
When we recognize this great truth, the easiest and most common solution is to blame local officers on environmental problems (and maybe they deserve it sometimes), but we have to take in account the pressures facing local governments that have a distinctive impact on them and their environmental roles, responsibilities and capacity. Greater emphasis should be given to the big picture, because as everybody knows, the issues of the environment and economy are inseparable.
If local governments are called upon to lead the actions, then we should increase the social pressure on them, but at the same time, we must help them with the necessary funds to meet the environmental needs of their communities. We can and we must help increase local government’s responses in natural resource management, environmental planning & protection, and we’re sure that awareness of which should be promoted among the population, in order to enhance the commitment and capacity of local governments to deliver beneficial environmental outcomes.
By Manuel Tejeda