Future Perfect

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] 45

eople

social

inclusion

green

jobs

education

There can be no doubt that leaders of the world must

first and foremost address poverty and inequity.

Addressing risks to the planet and humanity

We urgently need to change the trends of global envi-

ronmental destruction to ensure a safe space for human

development. We are already trespassing on the plan-

etary boundaries through the impacts of climate change

and the rate of biodiversity loss. Governance of our

‘global commons’ is vital to achieve sustainable develop-

ment for this and future generations. The risk to human

survival arising from increasing levels of greenhouse gas

emissions has been scientifically demonstrated, with the

only possibility for risk mitigation being a reduction of

emissions necessary to slow global warming to around

1.5

c by the end of the century. Inaction is simply due to

a lack of political will in the face of the same dominant

interests largely responsible for the causes of inequity.

There are also serious questions about the survival of

humanity if the risks of food, energy and water security

are not addressed. With 50 per cent more food, 45 per

cent more energy and 30 per cent more water needed

by 2050, world leaders must act now.

Ensuring food security for nine billion people, while

cutting 33 per cent of humanity’s ecological footprint

by 2050, requires an overhaul of the global food system.

This means scaled-up investment in hundreds of

millions of small-scale food producers including secure

access to critical land and water resources, and action to

prevent and reduce vulnerability to food price shocks.

We need to get the world on the right path by putting in

place a fair and sustainable food system as a key element

for economic growth.

higher in Israel, Turkey and the United States at fourteen to one. Chile

and Mexico have the highest levels of income inequality in the OECD

with the income of the richest being 25 times that of the poorest.

For working people and their unions, anger is growing at the

current political and economic attacks on their job security, wages,

pensions and services. These attacks are occurring despite OECD

analysis finding that the ‘regulatory reform’ which has weakened

labour market institutions has had a significant impact on wage

inequality among fulltime workers, and that this in particular is due

to the weakening of employment protection legislation governing

the employment of temporary workers, as well as product market

deregulation and lower unemployment benefit replacement rates.

These policy trends continue.

The consequence of growing impoverishment and inequity

for working people, the bitter crisis of unemployment and the

dramatic marginalization of young people from productive employ-

ment are causing, and will continue to generate, social unrest.

The International Labour Organization’s annual ‘World of Work’

report in 2011 featured a new ‘social unrest’ index showing levels

of discontent over the lack of jobs, and anger over perceptions that

the burden of the crisis is not being shared fairly.

Indeed, as the economic recovery slowed or stopped over the last

year, social exclusion and discontent became more widespread.

In 40 per cent of the 119 countries for which estimates could be

made, the risk of social unrest had increased significantly since

2010. Similarly, 58 per cent of countries showed an increase in the

percentage of people who report worsening standards of living.

Confidence in the ability of national governments to address the

situation weakened in half the countries.

The ILO report showed that to date, social discontent had

increased most in advanced economies, the Middle East, North

Africa and to a lesser extent, in Asia. However, income disparities

in Asia are now beginning to rise quickly.

Nurses from many countries, supported by actor Bill Nighy, highlighted the need for a Financial Transactions Tax at the G20 meeting in Cannes, November 2011