Participation And The Environment
Media Release
Hon Marian Hobbs
Minister for the
Environment
30 April 2000
PARTICIPATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
"Participation is the key to making
breakthroughs on environmental issues" the Minister for the
Environment, Marian Hobbs, said today on her departure from
New York where she has been attending a meeting of the
United Nations' Commission on Sustainable
Development.
Marian Hobbs said all people have
responsibilities and obligations towards the environment.
"Our actions, be they business or recreational, must not
harm our environment and we must be prepared to change any
that do," she said. "This government has made it a priority
to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
"People in our rural
areas, towns and cities need to be informed and involved as
this may mean changes to the way we go about our daily
lives.
"In 2002, there will be a review of progress since
the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 produced Agenda 21, the
programme of action for sustainable development.
"In
New York, I said involvement and inclusiveness were the
elements of the review New Zealand wants to focus on. The
review process must involve all our people.
"Politicians alone cannot implement environmental
agreements. They need to be owned by the people. I want to
encourage people to recognise the opportunity the review
offers. We can use it to assess and measure our
achievements and to raise new issues such as genetically
modified organisms.
"I very much want the review to be
a process that engages the minds and imagination of our
young people who show great leadership on environmental
issues. The review and its outcomes must include their
priorities.
"In New York, I strongly advocated
coordinated preparation not only at the local and national
levels but also at the regional and global levels.
"For
New Zealand, I see as a priority ensuring our focus includes
partnership with our Pacific neighbours. My colleagues from
Australia and the Pacific welcomed this idea when I raised
it with them and I look forward to exploring this
further.
"The task ahead is significant and getting the
process underway is a priority for me this year," Marian
Hobbs concluded.
The Minister is due back in New Zealand
tomorrow morning (May 1).
Ends
Footnote: The Commission on Sustainable Development is the leading UN body on sustainable development. It monitors progress on the implementation of the sustainable development action programme agreed at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. New Zealand is one of 53 members.
ENDS