Nobel Laureate and Chair of the National League of Democracy Aung San Su Kyi has launched “the Landmark State of the Tropics 2014 report” and it reveals that half of the world’s popu- lation and 67 percent of the world’s children under 15 years of age will be living in the Tropics by 2050, raising serious implications for global policymakers.
The launch was followed by a panel discus- sion of leading experts and a workshop to explore key issues affecting the Tropics and collaborative research prospects
. The report brought together 12 research in- stitutions from around the world to answer the critical questions for the region. Pro- fessor Sandra Harding, Vice Chancellor of James Cook University Australia and many experts spoke along with Aung San Su Kyi analysing a broad range of social, environ- mental and economic indications to provide foundations for policy-makers , analysts and others.The report aims to examine in greater detail of the tropic and major issues affecting the region the speakers said.
Aung San Su Kyi said ” there is so much that we can learn from this report to make us better carers to care for our environment, to care for one another, to care for those who are different from us, and to understand that those who are different from us are just as worthy of care as we are.
“The report shows that the tropical population is expected to exceed that of the rest of the world in the late 2030s, confirming just how crucial the regions are to the world’s future. “This report will be a big step forward.” she said.
Vice Chancellor of Australia’s James Cook University, Professor Sandra Harding, said “The Tropics accounts for more than 40 per- cent of the world’s population, around 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, and fea- tures some of the most pressing issues of our time: population growth rates ahead of the rest of the world, health and disease, envi- ronmental management, the development of governance and judicial structures, all play- ing out in Aristotle’s Torrid Zone.”
A simultaneous, satellite-linked event was also held at the Marina Bay Sands, Singa- pore on the same day and a live television feed was also sent to London, Los Angeles and Sydney.
