VIEWPOINT David Hillyard in the Green Room

There is growing awareness of the damage we are doing to the planet and the natural resources on which we depend, says David Hillyard. Yet, he argues in this week's Green Room, we still carry on along the same track regardless, refusing to make much-needed changes to our behaviour.

Climate change has helped put the global environmental crisis on the map; but it is time to stop considering it as a single issue Biodiversity is 'spark of life'

More than half of the world's fisheries are fully exploited, putting 27 million jobs and $100bn of income at risk, UN data shows.

One sixth of the world's population relies on fish as their main or sole source of animal protein.

Yet despite considerable effort by many groups, unsustainable fishing continues apace on a global scale.

The Amazon rainforest pumps 20 billion tonnes of water into the atmosphere each day, which drives global weather patterns and rainfall essential for people's survival.

Yet we continue to lose tropical forest cover and with that the services it provides, not least in the mitigation of droughts around the world.

However far removed from nature the human race may seem, we are inextricably linked to it.

The Earth's natural systems provide many essential goods and services that ensure our survival and enhance our lifestyles and well-being - such as food, medicines, building materials, climate regulation, flood defence and leisure opportunities.

The ecosystems that provide these services are rapidly decaying to the point of collapse. Human-induced climate change, infrastructure development, the loss of forests and agricultural production are primary drivers of these losses.

The prevailing economic model that exacerbates these problems, rather than counteracts them, is fundamentally flawed.

"GDP is unfit to reflect many of today's challenges, such as climate change, public health, education and the environment," was the conclusion of Beyond GDP, an international conference on gross domestic product held in Brussels in November 2007.

Despite this recognition, governments have spent trillions of dollars around the world in the past year to get out of "recession" and get back to GDP growth at any cost, it seems.

Why? It seems as if the main goal is simply to maintain the current ailing market system and stimulate continued unsustainable consumption.

Slim pickings

The world's governments are meeting in Copenhagen in December to try and agree a global deal to combat climate change.

The focus on climate change is at the expense of other green issues Hijacked by climate change?

The chances of a sufficiently binding agreement that will meet the challenge of stabilising greenhouse gas emissions in a short enough timeframe to avoid "dangerous climate change" are slim.

But are we seeing the whole picture?

Climate change has helped put the global environmental crisis on the map; but it is time to stop considering it as a single issue.

Whilst we argue over the extent to which climate change is going to impact the planet, and while governments quibble over emissions targets, we are losing sight of the fact that ecosystem services provide the mechanisms needed to tackle climate change - such as capturing carbon, driving rainfall patterns and maintaining soil quality.

Maintaining the integrity and functionality of ecosystems is a real and present challenge for business, society and governments.

Without them, we have no hope of sustainably tackling climate change and we risk losing forever the natural environments that enable us to survive and sustain lives worth living.

Bridging the gap

Governments tend to be driven by nationalistic, short-term agendas - increasingly so, as natural resources become ever scarcer and they rush to "capture" as much "natural capital" as they can.

The need for systemic change and global solutions that transcend national boundaries has never been greater.

We may invent new technologies at sufficient scale to capture and store carbon dioxide and control our carbon emissions, but are we missing the wider point?

At the same time, changing patterns of behaviour and consumption need to happen at an individual, local level.

So, what role does business have to play in tackling arguably the greatest challenge that our generation faces?

Business communities in both developing and developed economies are in a strong position to reach the individual at a local level and influence consumption patterns.

They can interact with and influence government at a national level, and can drive the international political agenda through bodies such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Coalitions between business, informed experts, NGOs and governments are powerful platforms from which to explore and develop alternative business models.

These alliances could drive behavioural change both within companies and among consumers, encourage sustainable use of natural resources, allow communities to thrive and still allow the companies involved to satisfy shareholders' desire to generate profit.

The HSBC Climate Partnership - a collaboration between HSBC, Earthwatch, WWF, the Climate Group and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute - is one example of how such collaborative programmes can support measures to protect biodiversity and enhance livelihoods whilst also changing the way that business operates.

Whilst there are certainly some forward thinking local and international enterprises out there, the international business community needs to continue working closely with international bodies, NGOs and governments to identify a collective vision and action plan of what a "post-GDP" world would look like; where value is not determined by levels of consumption or sales.

Southern elephant seals are one of the species facing an uncertain future World 'still losing biodiversity'

This would be a vision where quality is defined by a new set of rules which restores ecosystems rather than destroying them.

Governments may then be brave enough to set policy agendas accordingly and incentivise and regulate to support a new approach.

We have already embarked on a global climate change experiment that has unknown results.

We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically. We may invent new technologies at sufficient scale to capture and store carbon dioxide and control our carbon emissions, but are we missing the wider point?

We need more focus on maintaining functioning ecosystems and biodiversity that will regulate our climate and provide the other essential conditions we need to maintain human life on Earth.

In a world driven by a market economy, business has vital role to play in moving to this new future and can step up and play a leadership role in creating a sustainable future.

David Hillyard is the international director of partnerships for Earthwatch Institute, an environmental charity

The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental topics running weekly on the BBC News website.

Apologies for the mismatched day/date on the Puketi Forest Walk flyer. It is this Sunday, the 6th.

Conservation Week

Get Involved

Kia Mahia te Mahi Tokerau Beach Day 2009

When: Saturday 19th September 10.00am till 2.00pm

What: Beach-clean-up and audit of all rubbish collected.

  Sand Sculpture Competition  (Prizes to be won) 

Find out more about the Weedbusters

  Information stations - all you ever wanted to know about coastal awareness and conservation issues

Beach underwater clean up; for more information on this event contact Andre Kunz (09) 408 7077

Where: FNDC Waiotaraire Reserve, Simon Urlich Rd (with the playground and toilets).

Free Sausage Sizzle and Prize Giving to follow

Proudly Supported by: Far North Environment Centre

Karikari Peninsula Beach Care Group

A to Z Diving & Tackle

Carrington Resort

Whatuwhiwhi Top 10 Holiday Park

Bells Produce

Northland Regional Council

Department of Conservation

CBEC

September 9 Sunday 

Puketi Forest  Guided  Walk. 

Walk  on one of the trapping lines in Puketi.

Meet at 10 o’clock at the Waihohanga Gorge Kauri Walk start on Puketi Road. 

The walk will go through  Ian and June Wilson’s QEII Trust Covenant and continue along one of the rat trapping lines that passes through interesting forest types. 

Interesting species include silver pine, Mairehau, and ground orchids.

The line has been cut and generally follows the contour. The ground is  uneven and will be a bit slippery with the rain and there is a short  scramble to cross a creek. 

Total length approx. 4 km. 

Contact Ian 4019056 for details. 

E-mail iandjwilson@farmside.co.nz

TE TAI AO     OUR WORLD

Introducing Vince Kerr, Marine Biologist.

In association with

WAI CARE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS WHANGAROA

Presents

The Marine Environment We Share

A Visual Tour of Northlands Marine Environment

&

Creating a Future for Northland Communities.

Vince Kerr is a long time Northlander, Marine Biologist, working as a technical person and advocate for marine conservation with the Department of Conservation. Vince will introduce some modern tools and technology to help us to understand and manage our marine area and an up dated community can do list for our Marine Environment.

An outcome for this evening would be to gather interested persons to advocate challenges our Marine environment faces and to design possible solutions.

KAEO MEMORIAL HALL TUESDAY 15th SEPTEMBER. 6pm

Light supper provided.

Contact Violet Walker 021 02680918

Hi Everyone,

www.jayride.co.nz

The above website has recently been set up to assist people to carpool. I encourage you to sign up so we can start carpooling! How often do you hear that a friend or aquaintance has recently been on a trip e.g. to Auckland at the same time as you and you could have shared?

Using a website is a lot less time consuming than calling everyone you know to try to carpool.

First sign up, then go to the map of NZ (that unfortunately does not have Kaitaia on it) and look to the bottom right of the map - click on view all locations then click on Far North to view or post rides in your area. There are currently 2 ride listings for all of the Far North, both of them are mine and I am feeling lonely!

Later this year/early next year Transition Town Kaitaia will launch a carpooling promotion and it would be great if the site was already being used by Far North people. We plan to launch the promotion just after the next significant fuel price rise.

If you know people without internet who would like to carpool, I have spoken to The People's Centre in Kaitaia (down the end of Hofstede Arcade off Commerce Street) and they are happy to have people use their computer to link into the carpooling site. You can also use the internet access at the Far North Environment Centre.

Please forward this email to your networks and let's see what happens!

Rebecca Ranum

Transition Town Kaitaia.

VIEWPOINT Brian Richter

Rising populations, improving lifestyles and changes to the global climate are all increasing the pressure on the planet's water resources, says conservation expert Brian Richter. In this week's Green Room, he explains why there is an urgent need for the world to embrace new ways in which it uses water.

While most governments have proven themselves incapable or unwilling to manage water sustainably, a group of non-governmental and professional water organisations is stepping up to lead the way

More than one billion people lack access to safe, clean drinking water and more than half of the hospital beds in the world are occupied by people afflicted with water-borne diseases.

More than 800 million are malnourished, primarily because there isn't enough water to grow their food.

Fish and other freshwater species are among the most imperiled on the planet, in large part because of the ways that we have polluted and exploited their habitats.

The theme of this year's World Water Week, currently underway in Stockholm, is therefore quite fitting: Responding to Global Changes: Accessing Water for the Common Good.

What global changes, you might ask? Let us start with our global population, expected to rise from nearly seven billion to nine billion in just a few decades. That is why more than half the world's population will be living in areas of high water stress by 2030.

At the same time, in populous nations such as China and India, improvements in living standards and personal incomes are linked to greater consumption of clothing, meat, and water.

It takes 140 litres of water to produce one cup of coffee; 3,000 litres to make a hamburger; and 8,000 litres to create a pair of leather shoes. All of these processes require a vast amount of water to grow crops, feed cows, or produce leather.

On top of that, climate change will bring less rain to many regions, and cause it to evaporate more quickly almost everywhere.

Accordingly, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that "the proportion of the planet in extreme drought at any time will likely increase".

These are the nightmares that keep me awake at night.

Just the tonic

These global forecasts wouldn't look so daunting if we were doing a great job of managing water today. But over-extraction of water for farms and cities is already causing even large rivers such as the Yellow, the Ganges and the Rio Grande to repeatedly run completely dry.

More than 80% of cities do not treat their waste water, a study suggests Wastewater fears for urban farms

Remarkably, we also continue to foul our preciously scarce water supplies with too much human waste. More than 200 million tonnes of it each year go directly into our rivers and lakes without treatment.

So yes, the challenges we face are vast, but there's something brewing in Stockholm that is helping me sleep a little better.

While most governments have proven themselves incapable or unwilling to manage water sustainably, a group of non-governmental and professional water organisations is stepping up to lead the way.

You may have heard of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) that certifies sustainably-harvested wood products, or the Fair Trade movement for consumer products, yet no such scheme yet exists for water.

At World Water Week, a group of leading business, social development and conservation organisations will gather as the "Alliance for Water Stewardship" to advance a new voluntary global water certification program that will recognize and reward responsible corporations, farming operations, cities, and other water users for their sustainable use of water resources.

By developing best practice standards for managing water in a way that enables economic development in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible manner, the Alliance aims to certify "water users" who are taking major steps to minimise their water footprint and protect healthy watersheds.

Participants, otherwise known as "water users", can range from large international companies to local water utilities to agricultural industries.

The Alliance will bring together the largest water players from around the world in Stockholm to launch a "global water roundtable", a two-year dialogue among global water interests to seek agreement about the problems created by unsustainable water use, and to build consensus around the best-practice standards that will underpin the certification programme.

Changes in rainfall patterns could affect our ability to grow food

It is a huge undertaking, but the water crisis is urgent, and we desperately need a new, transparent rulebook for managing our water resources more sustainably.

So why would a large company or city to want to play by these new rules? A rapidly growing number of consumers are buying goods from companies with environmental and social credentials, giving certified products ranging from produce to beverages to clothing a competitive edge in the marketplace.

In this increasingly water-scarce world, companies are also becoming painfully aware of their vulnerabilities to water shortages, not just in their own business operations but throughout their supply chains. If barley farmers in northern China run out of water, breweries and beer drinkers throughout Asia will feel the pain.

Many companies are realising that if they can save water in their manufacturing or growing processes, they can save a lot of money, making them more profitable.

Similarly, cities save costs for water treatment when the watersheds that supply their residents are maintained in a healthy condition.

Interestingly, investors are increasingly screening loan requests from cities and companies on the basis of their sustainability scores, because behaving in an environmentally and socially responsible manner translates into reduced investment risk.

Perhaps most importantly, though, is the simple fact that we have no other choice but to move toward a new paradigm for water.

The maths simply do not add up any other way. We have only the same amount of water on this planet now as when life began. We cannot support seven billion, let alone nine billion, if we continue to waste and foul such a substantial portion of what we have.

Certification isn't likely to solve all the world's water problems, but it very well could set us onto a sustainability trajectory that could give my nightmare a happy ending.

Brian Richter is director of the Global Freshwater Program at The Nature Conservancy, a US non-governmental organisation

The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental topics running weekly on the BBC News website.

Let’s tell our Minister where to stick his proposal!

Minister of Energy and Resources Gerry Brownlee this week called for the most precious and significant land in New Zealand’s public conservation estate to be opened up for mining.

Gerry Brownlee

Because of a 1998 amendment to the Crown Minerals Act, the Government will have to consult with the public before it allows mining companies into the places listed in the Act as no-go for mining, which includes national parks, marine reserves, precious wetlands and internationally-recognised World Heritage Areas.

“The New Zealand public has an opportunity to fight the destruction of our National Parks and other national treasures. Kiwi’s who care about our environment can tell the National Party that they will not stand for mining in our most special places,” said Green Party Conservation Spokesperson Metiria Turei.

The Government is trying to justify mining in heritage sites on the grounds of economic development, but this completely ignores the economic and environmental benefits that the public conservation estate provides. It also ignores the vital importance of New Zealand’s clean green image to our economy, said Mrs Turei.

From 2004-2007, the public conservation estate returned some $22.5 billion to the economy. That return comes in many forms including flood protection (Whangamarino Wetland – $5million); water services (Te Papanui Conservation Park – $136million); tourism ventures (Fiordland National Park – $196 million); and marine conservation (Otago Peninsula – at least $35 million pa).

“The public conservation estate also makes a massive contribution as a carbon sink and will have a huge economic value in future climate agreements”, said Mrs Turei. “In addition of course to being a vital asset in the fight against climate change.”

Some of the national treasures under threat from this proposal are: the Coromandel, Paparoa National Park, Kahurangi National Park, Aspiring National Park, Waituna Lagoon and the Awarua Wetlands.

“These are some of the most beautiful places in our country. To allow mining in them is beyond an outrage, we need to protect them for our children and future generations,” said Mrs Turei.

If you wish to contact Hon Gerry Brownlee to tell him what you would like him to do with his proposal, he can be contacted at:

Email at Parliament gerry.brownlee@parliament.govt.nz
or phone 04 817 6802
Email at Electorate gerry.brownlee@national.org.nz
or phone 03 359 0582