We,
collectively,
are failing to
protect the
global
commons
But
we are
We have
reached or
exceeded the carrying
failing,
capacity of several of
collectively,
theprotect
earth’s the
to
ecosystems. The next
global
decade presents
commons
challenges
unprecedented
in the history of
humankind
Pushing Planetary Boundaries
Credit: Azote Images/Stockholm
Resilience Centre
July 8, 2012
Greenland surface
melt measurements
from three satellites
Source: NASA, 2012
July 12, 2012
Pressures on our planet
“If all herders take individually
rational economic decisions,
the common will be depleted
or even destroyed, to the
detriment of all”
– Garrett Hardin,
The Tragedy of Commons, 1968
“The population problem has no technical solution;
it requires a fundamental extension in morality”
The Tragedy of the Commons, Garrett Hardin
For that which is common to the greatest number
has the least care bestowed upon it. Every one
thinks chiefly of his own, hardly at all of the
common interest; and only when he is himself
concerned as an individual. For besides other
considerations, everybody is more inclined to
neglect the duty which he expects another to fulfill.
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
The Global Environment Facility
Born in the Spirit of the Earth Summit in Rio 1992….
The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
• Established in 1991
• Unites 182 member governments
• Focal Areas:
– Biodiversity
– Climate Change
– International Waters
– Land Degradation
– Chemicals (POPs, Ozone Layer)
The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
• The financial mechanism of the main multilateral
environmental agreements
• The largest public funder worldwide of projects
aiming to generate global environmental benefits
• USD 11.5 billion allocated
• USD 57 billion in co-financing
• Over 3,215 projects
• GEF SGP: Over 16,030 small grants to CSOs,
totaling USD 653.2 million
GEF Funding by Environmental Focal Area
Biodiversity
2% 5%
Climate Change
14%
31%
International Waters
4%
Land Degradation
Multi-Focal
12%
Ozone Depleting Substances
32%
Persistent Organic Pollutants
The GEF support in the Danube not
only turned it into a model of
integrated river basin
management, but also backed up
the political stability of the whole
Danube region
GEF is supporting protection of vast
sections of the Amazon Region
As the experience in China demonstrates, only a collective approach focusing on the wider
problem of integrated ecosystem management is the key to success over the long haul
Global
Partnerships
for efficient
lighting
GEF helps to promote energy efficiency in China
The GEF
proudly
supports
geothermal
energy
in the
African
Rift Valley
Global
Commons
The GEF is and must remain a
champion of the
Global Commons
There can be no separation between development and
environment, as they are co-dependent.
Healthy ecosystems are essential to secure human health, food,
energy and water, and ultimately sustainable development.
Such ideas have yet to be fully mainstreamed and their adoption
continues to be hampered by tough barriers in the political
decision-making process.
Goals for the Global Environment
…reaffirmed 20 years later as the leading environmental finance institution
20 Years later – a
celebration?
Under such
pressures,
incremental
environmental
strategies alone will
simply not suffice.
These changes
compel the GEF to
equip itself to
promote
Transformational
Change
GEF 2020 and Beyond
The GEF is uniquely positioned to catalyze the transformational change necessary
to help turn around the worrisome trends in the global environment.
However, the protection of the global commons, which is the GEF’s primary
mandate, is not always a critical priority in international politics.
The proliferation of funds is complicating the international financial landscape, and
fiscal pressures confronting developed countries will remain for the foreseeable
future.
THANK YOU
Thank you