Ian Spellerberg
30th November 2006
Ian Spellerberg ponders the recent alignment of the stars.
There is no shortage of irony in the way environment and sustainability issues have suddenly been propelled into public and political consciousness. For many decades, people and organisations with a serious interest in the viability of nature and humanity have struggled to make headway with an alternative worldview. Report after international report has catalogued irrefutable evidence that human activity is damaging the planet and its natural systems at an alarming rate, but Governments have remained focused on maintaining economic growth. Even the persuasive U.N. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005 failed to stay on the media agenda for more than 24 hours.
And then suddenly the whole discourse on the environment and sustainability was turned on its head by none other than a group of celebrities. Al Gore, Sir Richard Branson and Sir Nicholas Stern, global superstars of politics, business and economics respectively, came into alignment. Gore more than anyone has demonstrated the power of celebrity and mass communication with his seminal review of the Earth’s climate. Virgin chief Sir Richard, a high priest of business and industry, has anointed all those involved in addressing sustainability, and Sir Nicholas stamped the debate with economic authority and respectability with his Stern Report.
Fascinating though it has been, we must ensure that the recent revelations on climate change do not overshadow the broader issues of sustainability, which is concerned with diversity and abundance in natural systems, and fairness and equity along the social dimension. Climate change is but a small part of a much bigger problem facing humanity. The impact of humans on the environment and nature is not sustainable.
Sustainability is a moral issue which asks us to meet our needs and live our lives in ways which do not threaten the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It is about making good things last. It takes a much longer view than the strategic planning used in business and economics and acknowledges the role of natural systems in providing critical functions such as filtering water, moderating floods, providing air for us to breath and assimilating our wastes. With the current convergence of thinking, it seems that these ideas have finally achieved their place at the centre of the public policy agenda. Millions of people will have breathed “hallelujah” while observing the debate unfold, but anyone who has worked to advance the principles of sustainability will be aware of how much more there is to do, before this New Dawn for human values can translate into action.
I was working in Europe when the Stern Report was released, and I could only marvel at how it dominated public and political awareness. Weeks later in Europe it continued to reverberate, as political and industry groups moved quickly to re-examine their positions and, in some cases, to stake their claim within the pro-environment, pro-sustainability constituency.
Back in New Zealand, I detect that the sustainability score-card has been mixed. Fifteen years ago our efforts were considered world leading, with innovative legislation for resource management, novel approaches to fisheries management, and strong leadership on issues such as species conservation and protection of the atmosphere’s ozone layer. In recent times the wins have been more infrequent. Our efforts on energy efficiency and conservation have been the proverbial damp squib, and there has been policy regression on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, and a proposed carbon tax. On the plus side, Government departments have shown real enthusiasm for setting their own houses in order, through the Gov3 programme. A plethora of community-based organisations continues to carry the banner for sustainability through local initiatives, and business groups have attracted a nucleus of interested firms.
While there has been some progress at the business and community level, the lack of response within the education sector has been a significant problem. Now that the scale of problems are clearly understood, there is a desperate need to provide education for sustainability so that New Zealand becomes ecologically and politically literate, and able to progress the vision of sustainable communities and societies. The U.N. is pointing the way with its Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) but there is a need for major changes within the New Zealand education sector.
The Ministry of Education’s draft New Zealand Curriculum, open for consultation through to the end of November, was woefully inadequate with respect to sustainable development. The Ministry must consider environmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability as an essential and integral component of the curriculum, so as to meet the needs of future generations.
The Tertiary Education Strategy for 2007-2012 is currently under discussion. This Strategy makes some worthy points in recognising environmental sustainability as an underpinning for economic transformation. But it tends to treat these issues as something for us to manage for primary production or other economic objectives. On it’s own it is not enough. We have to forge a pathway that addresses our current social, cultural, political and economic assumptions – and these must not be viewed separately from “environment.” As noted by the Parliamentary Commissioner in his 2004 See Change report, “tertiary graduates need to have a core understanding of sustainability embedded in their education.” The report encourages our tertiary institutes to follow the lead of many overseas universities. For example in Australia, the Australian Vice-Chancellor’s Committee has recently released a policy on Education for Sustainable Development as a first step to promoting sustainable development in Australian universities.
There can be no doubt that education plays a key role for sustainable development. If societies are to be sustainable, we need people who understand their interdependence with others and with the bio-physical world; the complex consequences of human activities, and the types of changes needed to create a sustainable future. We need people who have learnt new perspectives, can apply systems thinking and critical reflection; transdisciplinary thinking and relational thinking; and people who can connect environment, economic and socio-political-cultural aspects. The Ministry for Education should make an immediate and explicit statement to encourage action across the whole sector.
Ian Spellerberg is Professor of Nature Conservation and Director of the Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation at Lincoln University.