IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network - a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organisations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries.
Listen as to why with such a huge membership, we hear virtually nothing about the IUCN and how that is now changing?
That the imperative for our global population is to realize that we are still putting huge amounts of pressure on our planet’s ecosystems, everywhere - yet we are not educating ourselves about the challenges that immediately need addressing.
There is a reluctance of governments to lead, as they appear to only follow polls of where the citizen’s consciousness or lack of consciousness currently is. That the media in clean green NZ are not at the forefront of ecology and environment and looking at our collective footprint, plus they are not championing innovative green technologies and know how. Why?
That there are so many critical challenges facing us as a human species, there needs to be urgent action on multiple fronts, if we are to protect our children’s future. The sad realisation that in NZ there are no 'stand out leaders' in the environmental movement. That had Sir Peter Blake been alive today, he would have been 'head and shoulders' above everyone in this region and out in front of parliament, leading NZ to a world summit on ecological and environmental action yesterday! But Alas … there is only a vacuum.
Diana mentions Prosperity Without Growth by Tim Jackson as a new book that sets out another way to work on sustainable solutions for a planet with a burgeoning population.
Diana Shand IUCN Regional Councillor – Oceania Chair – N.Z Committee of IUCN
http://www.iucn.org