Una economía justa. Parte 1

Hace tiempo que he empezado un curso muy interesante, llamado "Principios para una economía justa".

Vaya! A que suena bien? :) ¿No es eso lo que, básicamente, todo el mundo quiere? Una economía justa, basada en los cuatro pilares de la sostenibilidad (salud económica, la equidad social, la responsabilidad ambiental y la vitalidad cultural), que se centra en la erradicación de la pobreza, poner fin a las diferencias entre las personas, la restauración de las funciones ecológicas que humanidad ha destruido, y un largo etc de todo tipo de cosas muuuuuy buenas.

Ahora, por desgracia, no todos quieren una economía justa. No todos tienen con una capacidad de visión a largo plazo, ni cualquier noción de empatía, compasión o respeto por otra cosa que el beneficio económico personal. Nuestro actual sistema financiero y económico no es sostenible, ya que se centra en obtener un beneficio máximo, explotando todos los recursos posibles y concentrando el poder y riqueza en unas pocas manos.

Antes de empezar a escribir demasiado, voy a explicar mi plan. En las siguientes semanas voy a escribir blogs sobre las cosas que estoy aprendiendo en el curso, combinándolo con mi visión personal. ¿Por qué? Bueno, es bastante evidente: todo el mundo debería saber un poco más sobre la economía justa.

Así que, hoy  voy a hablar de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Es un buen lugar para empezar, si quieres llegar a entender de qué se trata de economía justa y todas las razones por los cuales parecen que somos incapaces de crear un sistema de este tipo. Voy a tratar de ser breve, aunque es una historia compleja.

Básicamente, los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM) fueron creados en el año 2000, con ocho objetivos básicos que deben ser alcanzados en 2015 (para más información, echa un vistazo a http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/)

Ahora, la idea es buena. Pero en realidad no ha funcionado. Sin duda, algunos de los objetivos han sido (parcialmente) alcanzados, pero todavía tenemos un largo camino por recorrer. Los ODM fueron creados en un sistema capitalista, neoliberal, hace más de una década, y ahora estamos viendo que ese sistema está fallando (tanto ha quedado evidente desde el inicio de la crisis económica mundial).

Así que: ¿Cuáles son las razones por las que los ODM han fracasado?Éstos son algunos:

• Los países donantes (con esto me refiero a los países desarrollados, que dan ayuda a los países en vía de desarrollo) son libres de elegir la cantidad de dinero que dan a la Ayuda Oficial para el Desarrollo (AOD). El "número mágico" es el 0,7% de su PIB. Ahora, casi ningún país desarrollado ha logrado eso, aunque España ha sido el peor de los casos (http://www.oxfamintermon.org/es/documentos/19/03/14/realidad-de-ayuda-2013), no sólo por no logrando alcanzar esa meta, pero porque además disminuyó su AOD más que ningún otro país.

• Los países desarrollados imponen su sistema económico a las culturas de los países en vía de desarrollo, extiendo de este modo un modelo económico que es insostenible, crea exclusión y la inequidad, concentra la riqueza y aumenta la injusticia. ¿Por qué? Bueno, porque nosotros, en nuestra arrogancia, creemos que nuestro sistema es el mejor y la única forma de llegar a un crecimiento económico. Un ejemplo: las instituciones financieras internacionales obligan a los países subdesarrollados a sucumbir ante el proceso de liberalización y desregulación del mercado. Lo que realmente sucede es que esto impide el progreso económico de los países pobres, mientras que las economías poderosas obtienen privilegios y riqueza.

• Confundimos el crecimiento económico con el desarrollo. Estas dos palabras no significan lo mismo!! Incluso puedo decir que hay muchos casos de crecimiento económico, pero donde el desarrollo ha estado ausente.

• Y por último, pero no menos importante. Los países donantes pueden decidir a qué país envían su dinero (AOD). Por lo tanto, lo que realmente sucede es que el dinero se envía a los países pobres donde los países desarrollados creen que su seguridad y/o su comercio está en riesgo.

• Y espera! ¿He dicho que los países desarrollados envían/dan dinero? Bueno, en realidad no es realmente un regalo, sino más un préstamo, lo que en consecuencia genera una gran deuda. En los últimos años, la cantidad de dinero que los países pobres han tenido que devolver fue cinco veces más que toda el AOD recibida! Así que, desgraciadamente, los países pobres tienen que pagar una enorme deuda, además de todas las otras dificultades que surgen de la pobreza y la injusticia social.

Bueno, espero no haber escrito demasiado en este primera parte. En Internet podéis buscar todas las cosas que yo he estado escribiendo. Y si alguien quiere comentar sobre este tema, no dudéis en escribirme!!

Fuente: "Hacia una economia al servicio de las personas. Principios para una economia justa. UNED Tudela"

Para acabar, unas viñetas sobre el tema

Principles for a fair economy Part 1.

Some time ago I’ve started a very interesting course, called “Principles for a fair economy”.

Whoa! Doesn’t that sound good? :) Isn’t that what basically everyone wants? A fair economy, based on the four pillars of sustainability (economic health, social equity, environmental responsibility and cultural vitality), focused on eradicating poverty, ending differences between people, restoring the ecological functions mankind has destroyed, and a veeeeery long etc of all kinds of good things.

Now, sadly, not everyone wants it a fair economy. Not everyone is blessed with a capacity for long-term vision, nor with any notion of empathy, compassion or respect for anything else than personal economical profit. Our current financial and economical system just isn’t sustainable, as it is focused on a maximum profit, exploiting all possible resources and concentrating power and wealth so that only a few can benefit from it.

Now, before I start writing too much, I’m going to explain my plan. In the following weeks I’m going to blogs about the things I’m learning during the course, combining it with my personal insight. Why? Well, it’s pretty clear: everyone should know a bit more about fair economy, and I’m happy to share my personal insights (yes, they might not always be right from your point of view, nor politically correct, but at least they might get you thinking!).

So, for today, let’s talk about the Millennium Development Goals. It’s a good place to start, if you want to get to understand what fair economy is about and all the reasons we seem unable to create such a system. I’ll try to keep it short, although it’s a complex story.

Basically, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were created in 2000, with eight basic goals which should be reached in 2015 (for more information, check out http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/)    

Now, the idea is good.  But it hasn’t really worked. Sure, some of the goals have been (partially) reached, but we’ve still got a long way to go. The MDGs were created in a capitalistic, neoliberal system, more than a decade ago, and now we’re seeing that that system is failing (so much has become evident since the start of the global economic crisis).

So: What are the reasons the MDGs have failed?

Here are some:

• The donating countries (with that I mean the developed countries, who have agreed to give help to the underdeveloped countries) are free to choose how much money to give for the purpose of Oficial Development Assistance (ODS). The “magical number” is 0,7% of their GNI. Now, barely any developed country has managed that, although Spain has been the worst case (http://www.oxfamintermon.org/es/documentos/19/03/14/realidad-de-ayuda-2013), by not only not managing to reach that goal, but to decrease their ODS more than any other country has.

• The developed countries impose their economical system upon the cultures of the underdeveloped countries, thus extending an economical model which is unsustainable, creates exclusion and inequity, concentrates wealth and increases injustice. Why? Well, because we, in our arrogance, believe that our system is the best and the only way to reach economic growth. An example: the international financial institutions oblige the underdeveloped countries to succumb to the process of liberalization and deregulation of the market. What really happens is that this avoids economic progress of the underdeveloped countries, whilst the powerful economies obtain privileges and wealth.

• We confuse economic growth with development. These two words do not mean the same!! I can even say that there are quite a lot of cases with economical growth, but where development has been absent.

• And last but not least. The donating countries can decide to which country they send their money. Thus, what really happens is that money is sent to those countries where the developed countries think their security and/or their commerce is at risk.

• And wait! Did I say that the developed countries send/give money? Well, actually it isn’t really a gift, but rather more a loan, which consequently creates a great debt. In the last few years, the amount of money the underdeveloped countries have had to pay back was five times more than the ODS! So, sadly, poor countries that really struggle, have to pay an enormous debt besides all the other difficulties that arise from poverty and social injustice.  

Well, I hope I haven't written too much information all at once. On Internet you can find all the things I've written about today, as there is a lot of information about this subject. If anyone is interested in discussing some of the things I've written, please write!

Source: "Hacia una economia al servicio de las personas. Principios para una economia justa. UNED Tudela"

And last but not least, some good, critical cartoons!

Why we need more educators, not more teachers.

Maybe to most people the word educator and teacher are synonyms; but even just a short look in the dictionary already gives a hint about the difference between both. An educator means; a person who provides education or instruction, whilst a teacher is a person who teaches.

Nevertheless, until the moment I learnt about environmental education, the difference didn’t mean much to me either.

But then I learnt what the true difference is between an educator and a teacher;

Everybody can be a teacher. Everyone can basically read out loud from a textbook, and explain in a basic manner all sorts of things others have taught them in turn. Many people only decide to become a teacher because of the social status, the money or the long holidays. Now, I don’t want to reduce the value teachers have, I know it’s a tough job, but, from my point of view, a basic teacher lacks a fundamental factor:

Passion

An educator is someone who is passionate about spreading knowledge, about enriching the inner world of their students and about giving students the freedom to explore the world for themselves and decide for their own what is the truth. An educator is someone who offers the information, who offers guidance, but never indoctrinates. An educator is someone who is so passionate about sharing knowledge with others, younger or older then themselves, you can the joy on his or her face. An educator is someone who is so passionate about educating that it’s no longer a job, but a vocation. A vocation to create a better world.

Because we need educators. We need people who educate both the younger and the older people about the importance of social justice, about true democracy, about the importance of woman rights, about the environment, and so much more. Teachers are fine for basic things like maths or languages (although even there is much space for improvement), but for all life-concerning matters we need educators. We need to reeducate ourselves. And for that we need passionate people, who are wise enough to understand that educating is not reciting things they have learnt from textbooks. You can’t be an educator if you lack a deeper, intuitive and complex understanding of the world.  

An educator sees the world the way it is; complex, interconnected and as a whole. In contrary to teachers, who have learnt from the teachers before them that the world is to be separated in small pieces so to facilitate the teaching process. Thereby causing the students to believe the world is separated and that actions don’t or barely have any effect on the rest of the world.

This is an important idea. You cannot educate boys in third world countries to treat girls with respect and care, if you don’t explain and let them see for themselves the great importance girls and women have in their society when you give them the freedom to grow and become the great people they are meant to become. You cannot educate adult people about climate change without showing them the reality that all is interconnected and that what’s happening now will have effects for many years to come, in ways that often seem so far from the initial cause that many people never think about it.

I have known people who, in their hearts, are true educators, not merely teachers. My perception of them is that they are people who are so inspiring to others, that they affect the path of the lives of their students. When you see these people, you can see the passion for educating brimming out of them and bringing over to the students the senses of amazement and wonder and love for learning and understanding the world.

Maybe I am in my heart, even more than an environmental scientist, an educator. I see the world in all its complexity thanks to all the events in my life that have led me to this moment. Thanks to my work I have seen that this is one of the things in life I most enjoy. I still have a long way to go before becoming a “full-grown” educator, being only a humble 22 years old. But yes. I have a passion. I know the importance of educators in this world of rapid changes and needs for modifications in order to provide a future for all living beings after us.

There is much, much more to write about this. I feel enthusiastic, inspired, and joyful writing about this, but otherwise the texts will become too long ;)

So, my dear reader, I hope I have lightened up a spark of inspiration and passion in you. We live in great times. But we must also remember that this is a crucial time in history, and that we must all put our personal piece of effort if we want a better world.

Namaste

Your life is your message to the world./ Tu vida es tu mensaje al mundo

Recently I’ve started investigating the possibility to make a conservation strategy for one of my favorite animal, the wolf. But as I'm researching its situation in Spain I realize the complexity, human ignorance and stupidity that surround this topic... If I would be describing all the things the government does wrong concerning the management of this iconic animal, I’d still be writing tonight ... It's a shock to read official government documents, and realize that, besides the fact that it contains erroneous and insufficient data, the politicians, and not the scientists (who have much more knowledge! ) are those who decide about the future of this animal, and many others.

Which makes me propose the following questions: Why do we accept that a few politicians, who aren’t specialized in anything else than politics and economics, make decisions about our environment, our education, our future? Why are politicians all over the world tolerated to pursue their personal goals, and not what it is good for everyone? Why do we wait for the government to do things right whilst they have no idea about how the real world works outside the realm of pure politics?

“Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it’s inspiring”

I, for now, I will continue researching the topic of wolves in the hope that someday they can live without the threat of being exterminated by humans, in peace and in harmony with humanity. It isn’t a “great” message, but it’s a beginning. And I’m planning to do a lot for this marvelous world. It will be hard, there will be many opponents who don’t want a sustainable world because they would lose their power, but I’ll go on. I’ll go on, because it’s the only possibility I see for the future. We can’t stay still, waiting until “someone” stands up to fix what we did wrong. That “somebody” will never come, because that “somebody” is you. It’s time to take on responsibility that everyone has, not only of their own lives, but also of all the lives that surround us.

 

Nobody wants, or nobody dares?...
"todos queremos cambiar el mundo pero nadia quiere ser el cambio"... ¿Nadie quiere, o nadie se atreve?

Ignorance is what makes us blind and creates fear. Thus, many beautiful animals suffer from human ignorance, as we immediately consider them "monstrous and evil" without even truly knowing them.
Ignorancia es lo que nos hace ciegos y crea el miedo. Por ello, muchos animales preciosos sufren por la ignorancia humana, porque les consideramos "monstruosos y malignos" sin conocerlos de verdad. 

Desde hace poco estoy haciendo un trabajo de conservación sobre uno de mis animales favoritos, el lobo. Pero a medida que voy investigando sobre su situación en España me doy cuenta de la complejidad, ignorancia y estupidez humana acerca de este tema… Si estaría describiendo todas las cosas que hace mal el Gobierno en cuanto a la gestión de este animal tan emblemático, aun estaría escribiendo por la noche...Es un shock leer documentos oficiales del Estado, y darte cuenta que, además que contienen datos erróneas e insuficientes, son los políticos, y no los científicos (con mayor conocimiento!!!)  Los que deciden sobre el futuro de este animal, y muchos otros.

¿Por qué aceptamos que unos cuantos políticos que nunca se han especializado en otra cosa que la política y la economía toman decisiones sobre nuestro medio ambiente, nuestro educación, nuestro futuro?¿Por qué se permite que los políticos persiguen sus objetivos personales, y no lo que es bueno para todos? ¿Por qué esperamos a que el gobierno hace las cosas bien si no tienen ni idea del funcionamiento del mundo real fuera del ámbito de lo puro político, e incluso en ello fallan?

"Tu vida es tu mensaje al mundo. Haz que sea inspirador"

Yo, por ahora, seguiré investigando el tema de los lobos, en la esperanza de que algún día podrán vivir sin la amenaza de ser exterminados por humanos, en paz y en armonía con la humanidad. No es un mensaje “grande”, pero es un comienzo. Y yo tengo pensado hacer mucho por este mundo tan maravilloso. Sera difícil, habrán muchos oponentes que no quieren un mundo sostenible porque perderán entonces su poder, pero yo seguiré. Yo seguiré porque es la única posibilidad que veo para el futuro. No podemos quedarnos con los brazos cruzados, esperando hasta que “alguien” se levanta y arregla las cosas que hemos hecho mal. Ese “alguien” nunca llegara, porque ese “alguien” eres tú. Es hora de asumir la responsabilidad que cada uno tiene sobre no solo su propia vida, sino también sobre todas las vidas que nos rodean.