Can greener forms of economic growth be sustainable?

15 October 2012

- for immediate release

Can greener forms of economic growth be sustainable?

Phil O’Reilly, Chief Executive of BusinessNZ, will be speaking at Lincoln University’s annual State of the Environment Address on Thursday 18 October and will address the question ‘Can Growth be Sustainable? – 25 years on from the Bruntland Report’.

Following Mr O’Reilly’s Address, there will be a panel discussion with Vicki Buck, Director of Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation; Suzi Kerr, Senior Fellow at Motu Economics and Public Policy Research and Adjunct Professor at Victoria University; and Dr Morgan Williams, Chair of WWF New Zealand.

BusinessNZ is the largest business advocacy group in New Zealand, representing thousands of businesses of all sizes and is committed to New Zealand’s success by promoting sustainable growth. Mr O’Reilly was the Chair of the Green Growth Advisory Group that published its report (‘Greening New Zealand’s Growth’) in December 2011. The opening sentences in that report read as follows:

“The world is shifting towards greener forms of economic growth. People aspire to economic development and higher living standards - and they also aspire to environmental sustainability in all its forms. Greener growth means a shift to more sustainable, or greener, ways of operating and developing modern economies. A shift to greener products, services, technologies, practices and markets. New Zealand is part of the shift. Greener growth brings major opportunities for our economy and for enhancement of our environment. It brings challenges as well but overall, the greening of the world is good for New Zealand.”

2012 is a significant year in that it is 25 years on from the publication of the Brundtland Report ‘Our Common Future’. Many would argue that the Brundtland Report was a milestone in respect to defining what was meant by sustainable development. The University has deliberately planned the State of the Nation’s Environment address for 2012 around the 25th anniversary of the Brundtland Report. In August 2012 former Prime Minister the Right Honourable Helen Clark spoke on ‘What does the outcome of Rio+20 mean for sustainable development?’

This is the 15th annual State of the Environment Address and the address is in the Stewart Lecture Theatre 1, Stewart Building, Lincoln University on Thursday 18 October from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. It is open to the public and admission is free.

The series of annual Lincoln University’s State of the Environment address was founded in 1999 by Lincoln University’s Professor of Nature Conservation, Professor Ian Spellerberg and associates. Presenters over the years have included Cabinet Ministers, Government ministry heads and environmental and conservation group leaders.

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