"A new world is coming. Many of us won’t be here to see it. But when all is still, if I listen very carefully, I can hear it breathing already."

(Arundhati Roy)

Climate change, depletion of natural resources, destruction of ecosystems, deforestation, breakdown of food supplies, soil erosion, reduction in the amount of agricultural land, population depletion; this area of intervention, entitled ‘sustainable development’, and which is the second largest, is entirely given over to financing alternative solutions (renewable energy, protecting biodiversity, rational use of natural resources, sustainable agriculture, alternative methods of waste management, etc.)

Renewable energies, alternative waste management, conservation of biodiversity, sustainable agriculture... are issues that can be addressed in this field of involvment.

Key figures

• Two billion people have no electricity

• In Africa, mean annual energy consumption per inhabitant is the lowest in the world

• World production of hazardous waste amounts to around 350 million tonnes

• Land that is exhausted, stripped and abandoned, poor soil, salination of the soil; these are some of the many consequences of intensive farming. Agriculture in the 20th century has made 25% of the arable land on our planet sterile

• 855 million people continue to suffer from chronic hunger throughout the world

• The UN predicts that yields from crops grown in Africa could halve within 40 years if damage to arable land continues as it is, whereas according to certain experts, sustainably managed agriculture could feed the entire planet

• More than 50% of the original forests on Earth have been destroyed. 250 million people are now directly affected by desertification. Experts estimate that nearly 33% of the Earth’s surface is threatened by desertification.

• World carbon gas emissions reached 6,521 million tonnes of coal equivalent in 2000

• 60% of ecosystems are exploited beyond their capacity. The 34 ecological areas that are considered to be the most important only cover 2.3% of the globe’s surface, but house 42% of all mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians

Projects

To consult information on projects on Sustainable Development programmes supported by Fondation Ensemble, please refer to the section headed Funding for Programmes/projects in progress and countries, and to the Newsletter for Microproject funding.

Examples of projects supported by the Foundation in the area of sustainable development:

* CFSI, Cambodia : good practice in agroforestery

* Bolivia Inti, Peru : fighting poverty by the introduction of solar cookers

* Conservation International, Madagascar : protecting biodiversity

The Foundation has also made technical reports available online, provided by our partners, on processes they are using and/or developing.

The selection criteria can be found in the section headed Small Grants for applications for financing under 30,000 €. For projects eligible for Programmes Fund , the criteria are set out on the Selection Criteria page.

Those organisations wishing to submit a proposal, click on Propose a Draft .