TakingITGlobal

The youth of the world believe that the most important factor to be considered in the implementation of policy regarding forest management is the accountability of government and industry. Governments must not only set policies that aim to regulate land usage, but enforce them effectively. This can be achieved through the designation of appropriate penalties should these policies be disobeyed, and reinforcement of these punishments through diligent monitoring systems. All decisions made and actions taken by governments must reflect the values of the people they govern. Companies must also be accountable to the environment in their land usage. Not only should they obey government regulations to the best of their abilities, they should make changes as a collective to reinforce environmentally sustainable land usage. When making decisions that have the potential to significantly impact our environment, companies must consider the long- term consequences of their actions, not short-term profit. Global youth recognize the need to distinguish between passive (undeveloped) land and developed land in order to understand and implement the policies required to protect and regulate land usage. Land is continuously abused by economic developments such as deforestation projects and unsustainable agriculture. By moving towards energy sources that are less invasive of the land, such as wind farms instead of oil extraction, we can protect the land's natural integrity and purpose in our collective fight against climate change. As well, by implementing waste management systems similar to those of Edmonton, Canada, which recycles and composts the majority of municipal waste, we can reduce the amount of land required for landfills. Conservation of natural undeveloped land is of great importance to young people around the world, and we demand the protection of land by creating national parks and enforcing the preservation of our natural resources. "Ecotourism is one of the most rapidly growing industries within Peru. Peru needs to invest significantly greater resources into the protection of its national parks." (Peru)

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