ENVIRO 04, SYDNEY, APRIL 2004

摘要

Readers will appreciate that the Enviro Conferences have a broader spectrum than just the water cycle: Enviro 04 covered segments on sustainable energy, sustainable industry, solid and hazardous waste, the business of the environment and odour, both rural and urban, and the CD ROM contains interesting reading in these wider spheres. The opening address, on the Sunday afternoon, by Governor General Michael Jeffrey, none-the-less focused mainly on water, as the key issue both for Australia and the global situation. He concluded that in the general gloom of the statistics our reaction could well be one of resignation... it's beyond the scope of any individual to make a difference. But we can! There is already progress in the Living Murray Program and Clean up Australia is leading to social stigma on litter, so we can achieve significant cultural changes over time. Whereas environment education in schools is essential, saving frogs doesn't save the planet: it will take action from all of us, both individually and as organisations, to develop an innate sense of sustainability, not just a 'tokenistic' response. This theme was reinforced by Paul Perkins, now Chair of the National Sustainability Council.