Monday, 5 January 2009

Kennedy Graham (NZ Green MP) is the man

...a small excerpt from his 'maiden speech' in parliament recently:
        It is the uniquely dubious fate of our generation to have broken the eternal promise of intergenerational justice. We in New Zealand are part of the problem; not yet of the solution. Our individual ecological footprints are three times higher than the global average; our carbon emissions almost five times higher. If we offer the world a national ecological surplus, it is not through prudent husbandry or modesty of habit on our part, but because we are simply few in number.
        A sustainable world -- a sustainable country -- requires a change in mindset. That requires a new world view; a transformational change in individual lifestyle; a refashioned approach to governmental management. It is time we measured national success not through mindless material growth, but through genuine progress in human well-being. It is time we relinquished our feverish ranking within the OECD, and began contributing to the true advancement of the emerging global society.
        Sustainability is the supreme political value of the 21st century. It is not a concept of passing political expediency -- a clip-on word for post-economic environmental damage -- it is now the categorical imperative of personal behaviour. Individual freedoms are no longer unlicensed, but henceforth subordinate to the twin principles of survival and sustainable living. The political rights we enjoy today are to be calibrated by the responsibility we carry for tomorrow.
Bravo.

1 comment:

DiggerGirl:-) said...

This post may well be two years old, but it is still incredibly relevant, and rather inspiring ! seems this blog has not been updated in while ! that is indeed a shame!

Mwah

xox