“The current state of global overshoot highlights the need for analysis and strategy to bring the human economy within the limits of the biosphere. Similar concerns about global emissions of carbon dioxide have led to a conceptual framework for reducing these emissions known as ‘Contraction and Convergence’. First described by the Global Commons Institute (Meyer 2000), contraction and convergence proposes a framework for stabilizing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations through two complementary approaches: Contraction. The need to reduce humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions to a level that will result in the eventual stabilization of atmospheric carbon dioxide at an agreed-upon level (e.g. 550 ppm). Convergence. The need to collectively negotiate how this reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be allocated between nations. Since its initial debut, the contraction and convergence framework has gained increasing recognition and sponsorship from decision makers, particularly in Europe. Influential organizations such as the European Parliament have passed resolutions using contraction and convergence as a basic principle (e.g. European Parliament 1998).” Shrink and share: humanity’s present and future Ecological Footprint Justin Kitzes, Mathis Wackernagel, Jonathan Loh, Audrey Peller, Steven Goldfinger, Deborah Cheng and Kallin Tea
http://www.gci.org.uk/Documents/Footprint_RS_.pdf
WSPA’s Recommendations: • The economy has to be conceptualized not as end in itself, but as instrumental to achieve a healthy environment and wellbeing for life on earth. Systematic recognition is needed of the social/ethical dimensions of sustainability, e.g. animal welfare. • Food production needs to move away from industrial, multinational systems towards moderate- and small scale, humane models with local supply chains and markets. • The rise of the consumption of animal proteins has to be halted by ‘Contraction and Convergence’, thus ensuring a fair share. If a modest increase in consumption of animal products by the poorest people in developing countries is the best way to improve their nutrition, this should be facilitated, and offset by greater reductions in consumption by those better off and better fed. World Society for the Protection of Animals Civil Society Consultation Conducted by the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service For the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Global Sustainability http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?page=agsp&id_article=3319 “Minimising man-made climate change is almost certainly the biggest challenge faced by humans. Some impacts are happening right now (often in parts of the world least equipped to deal with them) because of greenhouse gases already released into the atmosphere. We have to act quickly and decisively to avoid really dangerous climate effects. Developed by Aubrey Meyer of the Global Commons Institute, the Contraction & Convergence model is a widely accepted global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to safe levels in a socially just way. The model provides a global ‘carbon budget’ with annual reduction targets for CO2 emissions, based on levels considered safe to avert dangerous climate change. Once in the atmosphere, GHGs can take up to 200 years to decay, so to stay within safe levels we’ll have to continue to reduce, or ‘contract’ emissions year-on-year, to near zero by around 2080.” Fair Shares, Fair Choice supports the principle of ‘A globally fair and safe carbon share for everyone’ http://www.fairsharesfairchoice.com/index.asp