Declaration that emerged after the “2010 Global Round Table” Event that was held on 5th November 2010 in Budapest. The document is dedicated to The President of the Republic of Hungary, H.E. Pál Schmitt and The Government of the Republic of Hungary, ensuring the Presidency of the Council of the European Union January through June 2011.
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Comments by Prof. Alajos Kálmán (Budapest) representing the European Academy of Sciences on the Global Round Table Meeting held on 4-5 November in Budapest.
Report of Prof. Alajos Kalman, fellow of Eurasc.
The participants of the GRT meeting equally felt that the future of the rapidly and uncontrollably increasing population scattered unevenly on the Blue Planet is in danger. This explains why the meaning of the word sustainability (of many things) was analyzed meticulously. Accordingly, its meaning for each of us depends on our cultural, economical, ecological and social background. Motivated by our background each speaker attempted to elucidate the “Limits of sustainability” from this aspect. To avoid an inevitable stalemate of the excellent but mechanically repeated adjectives (which form already a dictionary) participants tried to bear in mind that e.g. the ecological sustainability is primarily depends on the indoor and outdoor problems of disparity. Disparity, like a super polyp with thousand of arms cross-links developed, developing and under-developed communities starting from empires with billions of inhabitants down to larger and smaller ethnic groups which geographically should live together although separated by incompatible religions or traditions).
What can we do? To suggest improving steps against our environmental crisis (either in short or long terms) which can be domesticated by the governments of nations, countries, etc. Of course, the good-will and/or wisdom should be applied in compromises. We must accept the fact that every government (even with an approval of the opposition) can support relevant steps in favor of sustainability, only without strong conflict(s) with local or global national interests. My proposals attempt to follow these rules.
1.) Beyond the rapidly decreasing fossil energy, its misuse e.g. in the worn diesel engines produce (mainly in the developing countries) million tons of very fine soot, which, by inhalation, may cause lung cancer. In addition, by the winds, it is continuously accumulated on the poles forming light-absorbing layers on the icebergs. This in long term is even more responsible of the global ice-melting than CO2 emanation. Solution, worn diesel engines should be removed from the traffic and/or enforce the users, by law, to repair their vehicles, or replace them, etc.
2.) Since the three Oceans form the largest ecosystem, governments of the countries which dominantly obtain their food from them, should minimize the currently applied forms of selective fishing (e.g. lobsters and other crustaceans), where the surplus (millions of living creatures) without any further selection and use, ruined and turned back into the water. Of course, such steps involve novel investments and improved technology in fishing on the high seas.
3.) The industrial tragedy happened in the last month in Western Hungary (around Ajka) where the sewage of the aluminium plant: the red dross (mainly iron-oxide diluted by strong caustic (NaOH) up to the lethal pH = 13) has been stored in large lakes surrounded by artificial walls made of enforced clinker (?). One of these storages with one million m3of red dross unexpectedly cracked and ruined three villages and the life in the adjoining brooks and rivers. Beyond the casualties (ten), thousands of people lost everything, since the red dross ruined everything, their houses, furniture, closes, cars, animals, and the whole rural area. Solution: The Hungarian Government unison with EU, should in general re-regulate the treatments (storage, or use) of all lethal byproducts, sewages of the industry, even at the expense of substantial investment and development of new technology. And these measures should be applied through Europe just in time!