The traditional model of unbridled economic growth - especially one reinforced by the policies of economic globalization giving greater rights to corporations - has not necessarily resulted in the improvement of life and environmental quality in the developing world. As developing countries continue to industrialize along this path, the situation is bound to get worse, not better.

Shorn of the self-serving praise and feel-good spin about sustainable development, the World Summit on Sustainable Development was an utter disappointment. The generally regressive nature of the agreed Plan of Implementation, and the failure to set concrete targets with clear timelines on such key issues like development of renewable energy to combat climate change, betray a lack of urgency and sincerity to reverse environmental ruin, on the part of the world's leaders.

Worse, positive provisions in the negotiated text, which could have partly compensated for the deficiencies of a mostly uninspired document, were consistently negated by language which extols unsustainable practices and reinforces a business-as-usual approach on various issues. In this context, the WSSD language on waste and incineration is very instructive:

"Develop waste management systems, with highest priorities placed on waste prevention and minimization, reuse and recycling, and environmentally sound disposal facilities, including technology to recapture the energy contained in waste, and encourage small-scale waste-recycling initiatives that support urban and rural waste management and provide income generating opportunities, with international support for developing countries;"

By the Summit's reckoning, waste to energy incineration is sustainable and on equal keel with waste prevention and recycling initiatives, whose "small-scale" implementation will be encouraged anyway, so environmentalists should stop complaining. Promoting waste incineration and giving it a stamp of sustainability is perhaps one of the greatest insults to come out of a global meeting meant to address the causes of environmental destruction, like over-consumption.

And while government negotiators were busy debating commas and text at the Summit, Earthlife Africa and GAIA were demonstrating the wisdom and soundness of alternative Zero Waste strategies at the Global Forum -- proof positive that the hope for this planet's future lies in citizens who will not stop demonstrating the triumph of community and common sense over ignorance and greed until those who claim to lead us learn.

Von Hernandez
Co-Coordinator
GAIA