Australia took the global stage this week with the assembly of delegates and leaders from around the world for the annual G20 summit in Brisbane and the once-a-decade World Parks Congress being held in the capitol city of Sydney. It seems ironic that an assembly of world powers is meeting to discuss the future of the global economy right down the road from the congress set to discuss the future of protected areas and parks worldwide.
The symbolism and parallels between these two meetings are uncanny despite differences in their constituencies. In case you aren’t familiar the G20 or ‘Group of 20’ (which is entirely justified), it is exactly as the name implies; a group of nineteen powerhouse countries plus the European Union who meet annually in an international forum to discuss the state of the global economy. Here’s what’s on the agenda this year:
- Promoting stronger economic growth and employment outcomes
- Making the global economy more resilient to deal with future shocks
- Strengthening global institutions to ensure they reflect the new realities of the global economy.
Surprisingly, discussions on climate change were not on the docket; a point protesters emphasize by burying their heads in the sand of a local Sydney beach. Just down the road is the sixth meeting of the World Parks Congress which assembles once every ten years to discuss the future of protected areas and parks around the globe. In attendance are over 5,000 delegates from 160 countries. This year’s theme is Parks, People, Planet: Inspiring Solutions.
I can’t help but feel that sustaining biodiversity and cultural and natural history and heritage plays an important role in the long-term viability of the global economy while allowing for more sustainable conservation based development and growth models. Unlike at the G20, climate change is a challenge delegates at the Parks Congress have been actively discussing. It remains to be seen how solutions fleshed out by the congress will take shape, though one thing’s for sure; it’s been a symbolic week Down Under for the future of the world economy and the environment.