East Dorset Friends of the Earth (EDFOE) is marking the 50th anniversary of the Stockholm Declaration of June 16th 1972 with a plea to local politicians and MPs to redouble their efforts to tackle environmental imperatives.
EDFOE spokesman Dr. Martin Price says: “It is now 50 years since the world recognised the urgency of the environmental crisis. In the Stockholm Declaration2, nations pledged to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, protect and restore nature, create sustainable cities, eliminate weapons of mass destruction, and support poorer countries to take the necessary actions.
“Since 1972, the global environment has become more polluted and natural resources have become depleted. Natural habitats have been destroyed, species become extent, and our oceans more acid and polluted with plastic waste. The UN now recognises that the world is facing triple crises of climate change, habitat destruction and polluting waste, all of which are still growing worse, and threaten the future of humanity and the natural world.
“Politicians at all levels have failed to act fast enough to stop these environmental crises and have ignored the advice of scientists, and of campaigners such as Friends of the Earth. The UN confirms that we now stand at a crossroads, where further inaction threatens future prosperity, health and environmental security. Young people today have a right to feel cheated by many of the older generation,” he added.
Dr. Price adds: “2022 also marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of East Dorset Friends of the Earth3. We are proud of our record of environmental campaigns in BCP and the surrounding area, often in the face of apathy and disregard by those with the power and responsibility to take the right decisions. Where the local environment continues to decline in quality, it is invariably despite the best efforts of EDFOE and as a result of complacency by most local politicians. Change in our way of life is now inevitable. After 50 years of prevarication, we face the stark choice: will this be a headlong dash towards social, economic and environmental disaster, or a rapid change of direction, towards a sustainable way of life and away from the precipice? ”
“We call upon local politicians of all parties to accept that their efforts to date have been inadequate, and to make plans for a rapid shift to a more environmentally sustainable world. And we call upon local people to accept that change is inevitable – the question is whether we continue towards climate and environmental catastrophe, or do we adopt policies which tackle these problems. We urge people to use their voices, and their votes, to demand more rapid action by our political representatives, for the sake of future generations and of the planet”.
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