Lyder godt at I vil oversætte den. Men så svært er det vel heller ikke at det ligefrem skulle tage et UGER, eller hvad?
Nedenfor er google's oversættelse. Jeg har finpudset lidt i starten. Det er stadig en "rå-tekst", men for en engelsktalende person burde det kunne måles i minutter, ikke i dage, at rette det til. Derefter vil en af jer, der har skrevet teksten lige skulle kigge den igennem. Og så er den der.
Transition to a Sustainable Future Now
This appeal was handed over to the elected representatives of the Danish Parliament calling on them to take action towards to the extensive crisis that we humans have created. The problems will not disappear by being ignored - on the contrary.
13th March 2013
The world is out of joint. We are experiencing not one but a series of interconnected crises that obstruct each other's solutions. This is new: At the same time, economy is troubled, the climate is threatened, nature and resources under pressure, employment and social security in danger, and in many places inequality is growing.
We are 50 young people from the generation that will be taking over today's society and who must ensure a future for our own children. We are full of enthusiasm and keen to take responsibility. But we are also deeply concerned that the extent of the crises does not really seem to be recognised by our policy makers. It tries to tackle the new challenges with old answers.
With different backgrounds and with thorough knowledge and strong commitment as our common resource we gathered on 23 February to put into words our anxiety and our generation's vision of sustainable development.
We face historic challenges that require an historic transition. With this approach, we would appeal to the Government of Denmark and our elected politicians to look up, recognise the need for fundamental change and join us paving the way for a sustainable future. The world is not on the right track - we must help each other to change this.
The price escalates
It squeaks and creaks in the global economic system. The growth in world population and the growth in prosperity has brought us to a place where the economy exceeds the planet's limits. Rather than live off what nature gives us, we are now eating its capital - it's like to start eating the seed because the grain storehouse is empty.
This has undermined the ability of that growth which in the last two hundred years was civilization's characteristics and condition for welfare. Instead, we now see economic stagnation in our part of the world and the unemployment, inequality and political instability which follows. It is as if the effort to create economic prosperity in the traditional way in itself prevents any progress.
Most clearly is this seen in our use of resources and the ecological system. The constant hunt for more oil, gas and coal point to reserves depletion and rising prices, but also towards escalating costs of environmentally sensitive areas and towards disastrous impacts of climate change. The urge to gain in the short term destroys the possibility of balance and sustainability in the long term. The fact that we do not currently pay the correct full price of the fossil energy and other raw materials means that in the future we will have to pay a much higher and in a double meaning unbearable price.
Confidence Gap
A long period of growth in the global economy has not managed to eliminate inequality between people, and with the growth of absence is inequality only increased. In combination with rising unemployment undermines the communities' cohesion and weakens confidence in the political system and decision-makers. This confidence gap is in itself a barrier for the courage to innovate and visionary reforms.
Instead short term thinking reigns. As when companies produce goods with poor durability and built-in obsolescence to ensure turnover. As when politicians drop what is obviously right and necessary environmental measures in order to score immediate political points. As when citizens are encouraged to increase consumption, knowing that expansion of material consumption today is undermining it in the long term. Fright from the crisis, pressure of competition, threats of unemployment and resentment of inequality stimulates us to act in ways that basically offers us the opposite of what we want.
It is as if we are not able to see what is good for us. We measure on an abstract and imagine that it says something about human well-being and welfare. Measuring GDP is equivalent to measuring the flow of water in a river - the number of gallons flowing past does not tell whether the water is clean or toxic, whether it contains fish or pollution.
Co-ownership to the operator
But not everything can be measured. This appliesto cohesion and coherence.
Modern man is often distanced from nature and subject to an illusion of independence from nature. And then what we do in the environment, do not have immediate consequences for ourselves - as when CO2 emissions in Europe with decades of delay gives droughts in Africa - it is tempting to tell themselves that it has nothing to do with us. What we do and what we are really good at, is not consistent. Similarly with the relationship between people. In a competitive and crisis-pressured society individual progress and material status is a key success factor. Individuals, communities and countries are fighting within and among themselves for opportunities, jobs, resources, and the remaining space. The forces of coherence, the sensation of belong to a community, crumbles.
If this system crisis to be overcome, we must all feel an ownership of the change. The challenge may be formulated as a complex whole. Politicians must find the courage to articulate vision and leadership - not to be chasing around in circles of short-term agendas. Businesses must acknowledge social responsibility and set good examples - not defend the status quo and narrow special interests. The people must be involved as active traders and responsible citizens - not just receiving messages from above as consumers, workers or the public dependents.
Our solutions
We believe Denmark could be a pioneer - a laboratory where we let ourselves be inspired by each other and inspire others. Here are a few of our suggestions for solutions and new initiatives:
An interdisciplinary Council of Change of professionals to advise politicians and qualify the necessary decisions to initiate and maintain a sustainable transformation of society. The council must continually formulate holistic visions of transformation in close collaboration with civil society, and provide recommendations and guidelines for sustainable community development. A 'live testing ground' will contribute to the development and testing of new technologies and creative solutions in accordance with the specific local needs of the citizens' own initiatives. The project will be financed by the state and provide credit and advice to entrepreneurs with new ideas for socially and environmentally sustainable production.
Use things again, and again, and again - a showdown with the use-and-throw-away culture, where resources are reused in closed circuits, and products designed to last as long as possible. Examples of measures to promote such a development is to rent rather than own, a greatly expanded deposit system and increased taxes on resources and packaging.
Reducing the weekly working hours will create new jobs on the basis of the existing production. We suggest to begin trials in occupations which do not compete with other countries. A shorter working hours scheme may contribute to increased quality of life for the individual, family and community because of the potential for increased engagement in leisure and community activities.
Create a community-owned investment bank, which has the purpose of allocating resources for sustainable investments that lead to long-term jobs. Here, private players save their funds to government-guaranteed competitive rates. Furthermore imposed on pension funds to contribute a certain percentage of their funds in the bank.
Sustainability as the new normal is to be encouraged by launching a national awareness project. People must live with the transition, qualified, motivated and informed. Therefore, find funds for campaigns like the Agenda 21-campaign from the early 1990s. Sustainability must be on the school curriculum as a compulsory subject.
The transition starts in our heads. And hearts.
'Transformation Now' is a network of committed young people who want to develop a common vision for a sustainable transition. This appeal was submitted today to the Chairman of the Parliamentary, Lykketoft (S)
The full appeal can be found in Danish language on ...