There's an ESD event at COP21 on Thursday; perhaps you'll be there. It's advertised as a panel discussion on “People at the heart of nature-based solutions” and it's asking the question:
What is needed to unlock the power of education for sustainable development (ESD) to help address the global climate challenge?
It is organised by the IUCN CEC [Commission on Education and Communication], which is a network "driving change for sustainability" through which members volunteer their expertise in learning, knowledge management and strategic communication to achieve IUCN goals.
Now, you might not think that putting people at the heart of nature-based solutions would not obviously lead you to think of ESD. In the UK, for example, you might think of organisations such as the wide-ranging work of the Wildlife Trusts, WWF, RSPB, The John Muir Trust, Learning through Landscapes, etc, etc. Moreover, it assumes that ESD has power.
Anyway, if I were having an international panel, I'd not have 4 out of its 5 members from Europe, and the 5th from the USA:
- Inger Anderson (IUCN Director General)
- Daniella Tilbury (University of Gibraltar)
- John Cortes (Minister of Environment & Climate Change, HM Government of Gibraltar)
- Alexander Leicht (UNESCO)
- Pam Puntenney (UNSD Education Caucus)
And even if I did, I'd have second thoughts about having 50% of the Europeans from one tiny bit of the continent that is a constant irritant to one of the larger countries.
Has IUCN been taken for a ride?
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