Portal Rio+20

Report on Eye On Earth Summit 2011 …by Kehkashan Basu
Being born on 5th June , which is World Environment Day , I feel that I have pre-ordained responsibility towards the environment . This philosophy is my driving force and as a member of TUNZA I work constantly to achieve the goals of conservation.
The Eye On Earth 2011 summit in Abu Dhabi was convened to address the crucial importance of environmental and societal information and networking to decision-making. Held under the patronage of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan , the summit slogan was ‘Convene , Converge , Collaborate’ and chose to highlight the theme ‘From a moment to a movement’. As an 11 year old , I was definitely the youngest delegate at the summit . I was a part of the TUNZA team, which essentially comprised of youth delegates from across the globe . We set up our booth in the exhibition centre on the first morning itself. It was strategically located very close to the entrance hence it got a lot of footfall and interest from the visitors . We showed several video presentations on youth conservation activities , as a part of TUNZA , from various parts of the world . The presentations included the outcome of various TUNZA conferences and how these impacted the environment . There were several visitors to our booth at the exhibition and we , at TUNZA , were able to increase their awareness levels about the importance of conservation , the dangers of global warming and deforestation and the importance of recycling .
Apart from the exhibition , the TUNZA team was an active participant at the summit which was graced by several eminent speakers , such as UNEP Executive Director Mr Achim Steiner, President Bill Clinton , Mr. Sha Zukang –UN Under-Secretary General, world famous anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall , intrepid explorer Mr. Robert Swann to name a few. We learnt from their experiences and shared their vision for a greener , sustainable tomorrow. My interaction with the leader of the Amazon Surui tribe , Chief Almir was most memorable . Communicating with the help of an interpreter, I learnt how Chief Almir waged a lone battle to save his tribe from extinction and save the Amazon rainforest from loggers. The summit helped to educate us on the importance of oceans and the concept of ‘blue carbon’ , water management and security, disaster management, community sustainability and resiliency given the large scale urban migration phenomena and the global importance of environmental education at all levels.
The TUNZA team was also an active contributor to the Eye on Earth declaration towards Rio+20 , which was published at the conclusion of the summit. This declaration aspired “ to a vision whereby decision-making for sustainable development, is empowered by the availability and equitable accessibility of credible, relevant and timely information”.
As an 11 year old , I gained an exposure to the world stage and the global philosophies on conservation which will definitely mould me into a more focused and environ-conscious individual. It is very important to involve children in all such initiatives and enable them to participate in decision making since we form about half of the world’s population. This is also a core philosophy of TUNZA which will definitely yield rich dividends in the future and help translate the dreams of Rio+20 into reality.

Recycling paper is the most relevant and important conservation activity . This has a direct impact on saving the environment . As a member of a local NGO , I collected 315 kilograms of newsprint over a period of two weeks in October. I collected newspapers and magazines from my neighbourhood , local restaurants and shops . The second step of my effort was to actually plant a tree to coincide with UNEP’s One Billion Tree Campaign . The day chosen for this activity was the iconic 11th day of November this year.
The desert which surrounds my city , Dubai , will slowly but surely turn green as initiatives such as these find momentum in our society. Early on 11-11-11 , I went to a pre-assigned desert spot alongwith other other volunteers and planted a tree . The morning’s efforts resulted in about one hundred saplings being planted which in time will add to the green quotient of our planet.