Catherine Delahunty Green MP www.greens.org.nz

The Greens and most experts agree that as the developing world plays catch-up and the developed world continues to strive for ever-higher living standards, we are moving to a place that exceeds our planet's means to provide the resources demanded of it.

Last week Dr Kennedy Graham, our Green MP based in Christchurch, presented his ideas for a better global community at a talk at the Wesley Centre on 13th Avenue.

The talk was co-hosted by the Tauranga branch Green Party and as part of the Tauranga UN Association lecture series.

In his talk, he argued that we need a global agreement to limit demands of a burgeoning human population on the remaining precious resources – and in particular fossil fuels and fresh water – in order to avoid global economic, environmental and social crisis. Kennedy, an advocate of human rights and a just, global legal order, has a background in commerce, foreign affairs and working with non-governmental agencies. He has held academic positions in the USA, UK, Canada, Thailand, Switzerland, Sweden, Jordan, Belgium and Bangladesh. He has worked for the UN University and authored several books. One, entitled ‘The Planetary Interest', was described by UN President Kofi Annan as the 'kind of forward-looking concept we need as the world goes through a period of profound transformation”.

Over the years he has developed a conviction about the need for Green principles in political action at global, as well as at national and individual levels. The United Nations is the obvious choice for acting as a convenor for reaching consensus on how we should use the resources that we have left. His engaging and entertaining talk revealed first-hand accounts of the alarming effects of climate change, and reflected on the increasing importance of supra-government involvement and the UN.

He concluded that science tells us that we have 10 years to change our ways to avoid some of the worst consequences of climate change. With this in mind he has prepared a discussion paper and conference at parliament on November 12, which outlines how a sustainable economy for New Zealand could work.