21 Jan 2010

Change in approach to environmental issues urged

10:55 am on 21 January 2010

One of the country's leading environmental educators says local and central government should completely revise their approach to environmental issues.

Professor Wayne Cartwright, who lectures at Massey University, has told a National Environment conference in Hastings that current agricultural and industrial practices are unsustainable.

He says a great deal of what's being done on farms is severely degrading many of the ecosystems in streams, rivers and lakes.

Dr Cartwright says most environmental policy is based on a dangerously inadequate economic model, which adheres to the premise that food production will continue to increase.

He says the model doesn't recognise or address the root causes of unsustainability.