More on One Planet Living

On closer examination it seems that the idea of “one planet living” originated with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) rather than the government (see 30 September dispatch). David Miliband, the environment minister, credited the WWF with the idea in a speech on the idea of an “environmental contract” on 19 July. He also wrote a joint article on the “environmental contract” with Douglas Alexander, the transport minister, on the BBC website on 25 May. Using apparently radical language the two ministers argued that:

“In the last century, progressives forged a social contract that saved capitalism from itself. In this century, the task is now to address environmental degradation with the same moral passion and practical rigour as we continue to address human degradation.”