Moral Basis

The environmental groups hold the moral high ground at present - or think they do. Their strength rests on the first World Summit held in Rio de Janeiro a decade ago. But it would be a good idea if they remembered the key to their present position is the Brundtland declaration that led to the Rio conference, Agenda 21 and more recently, Kyoto. It is an elegant and simple statement that we can all support, but it needs to be viewed in its entirety. It states

We should aim to meet the needs of the present generation, while protecting the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Since this simple statement was produced, numerous explanations, expansions and interpretations have been promulgated. When it all gets too difficult, pull this out, and test against it. It works well, and is robust.

On the basis that Leisure is a legitimate need, then “we should aim to meet” it. Moreover, there are probably some 25,000 people in the wider Solent area that depend for their livelihood on the marine leisure industries. That is a number of voters the politicians cannot afford to ignore.

To address the dilemma, Government has set out its policy for Sustainable Development, It seeks to put the Brundtland principles into practice.