Q&A
"We ourselves are the Antichrist of ecology"

By Néfer Muñoz

Alvaro Umaña is a pioneer of environmentalism in Latin America. In 1986 he was appointed Costa Rica's first-ever secretary of the then-new Ministry of Natural Resources.

Umaña, now 51, laid the institutional groundwork for the environmental efforts that have won his country international recognition. Now, he is the main adviser and leader of the Sustainable Development Group at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This environmental engineer and economist, who studied at Stanford University, in the United States, answered some questions for Tierramérica.

Q: What is the ultimate dream of an environmentalist in the 21st century?

A: That the Agenda 21 be fulfilled.

Q: Who is the Antichrist of ecology?

A: We ourselves are. When we act irresponsibly, we can't blame anybody else.

Q: Does Latin America bear any real weight at the Johannesburg Summit?

A: Yes, it does, but its participation is not as great as we had hoped. Until now we only have confirmed the arrivals of five Latin American presidents (for next week's gathering of heads of state): Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana and Mexico. That's why we can't say that the Johannesburg Summit will be as successful as the one in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Q: Do the Latin American countries stand together on the issues?

A: Latin America is part of the G-77 (group of developing countries), which is headed this year by Venezuela. The G-77 negotiates as a bloc, so in a sense, the region is united.

Q: What do you like and dislike about capitalism?

A: I love the creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit. But what worries me deeply is the inequality that it creates and the fact that we seem unable to prevent it.

Q: Which of the Summit's five themes do you think will see most progress?

A: The water issue. There is major agreement on the topic of water in the text (of the final declaration), there haven't been many obstacles, there is almost nobody who opposes it and there is broad support for it. Maybe one of the biggest achievements of this Summit will be to focus attention on the issue of sustainable development as a priority in the fight against poverty, and within that fight, the importance of water, energy and the community.

Q: Why has there been so much agreement on the issue of water?

A: Because now we have in our hands all the knowledge and the financial and human resources to solve this problem. However, because of contaminated water, 6,000 children are still dying every day from diarrhea. That's more than two million children per year. It is estimated that about 50 percent of the hospital beds in the world are being occupied by people who become sick with illnesses related to water quality. And that is not acceptable, which is why so many people are reaching the conclusion that the right to potable water must be seen as a basic human right and that we need to have a plan that will benefit everyone.

Q: What is your biggest fear for the future of this planet?

A: My biggest fear and frustration is that for 30 years I have known the problems and the solutions, and I have also witnessed the lack of political will or consensus about them. We are a generation of people that knows what has to be done and that has been incapable of doing it. That is a frustration that all environmentalists share.