Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-07-05-Speech-4-037-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20120705.8.4-037-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, given the severity of the problem to be solved, many, including the Members of the European Parliament, expected much more from the United Nations conference on sustainable development. The alarming consequences of the unsustainable exploitation of our planet are known to us all, while the necessary technology and knowledge is available to reverse the process. Unfortunately there is still a lack of political will, and action is frequently taken in fits and starts. Therefore, the implementation of the fine-sounding goals adopted in Rio remains our joint responsibility. In this respect, plenty of work lies ahead of us.
The President of Hungary, János Áder, my predecessor in the European Parliament, represented Hungary at the Rio+20 conference and made the following remark: sustainable development is about us and our children, our lives and our future prospects. While it is a commonplace that water is the source of life and mankind’s greatest treasure, it is astonishing that according to the prognoses of the United Nations, by 2025, two-thirds of the Earth’s population will face continuous water supply problems. That is a shocking figure. Ladies and gentlemen, imagine a situation in which tens and hundreds of millions of children do not have access to drinking water, causing the Earth’s child mortality rates to worsen further. We cannot be so irresponsible. I believe that politicians and economic leaders need to take immediate action in this field.
It is a shocking figure that today, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by people who have fallen ill because of poor quality drinking water, and that annually, almost 2 million children under five die because of problems with drinking water supply and sewage treatment, not to mention the people, primarily in the developing world, who do not even reach hospital in order to receive hospital care. They die without even featuring in the statistics.
The European Union recognised the strategic importance of water early on and is leading the way towards sustainable water management. The European Union, however, cannot solve the global problems of water supply alone. That is precisely why it is in our basic interest for effective international cooperation to be established in the field of water policy, before a lack of water prompts migration waves and we are threatened by wars waged for water. Think of Mad Max, the film made by George Miller in 1979. I would not like my children to grow up in such a world, which is why I believe that we are running out of time and we all need to take action."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples