| Quotes |
'I fully support the aims of the Initiative and believe that it has potential to deliver great benefits for human well-being'
Rt Hon Ed Milliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
“Our massive and unintended experiment on the Planet’s reaction to unsustainable levels of human impacts is approaching crisis point. Ironically Earth’s response is already damaging the human life support systems it provides. The future is not yet beyond rescue, provided we take appropriate action with due urgency.”
Professor Lord May of Oxford
“It is becoming clearer that the challenges we face in provisioning safe, clean and affordable energy, water and food to our growing global population are intimately linked. Any effective strategy for solving these challenges will need to recognise the importance of maintaining our rich ecosystems. Scientists must clarify their understanding of the benefits that well-functioning ecosystems provide ‘behind the scenes’, for example in sequestering our carbon, purifying our water and pollinating our crops, and draw these to the attention of policy-makers.”
Professor John Beddington, HM Government Chief Scientific Adviser
“Finding a balance between securing our economy and protecting our ecosystems is essential for our future well-being. Key to this is how we produce, consume and conserve energy. Centrica is committed to producing and storing energy responsibly, and is working to help our British Gas customers to be more energy efficient. In sustainably meeting our energy needs, the challenge lies in the consideration of many factors; carbon emissions, air quality, habitat preservation, water abstraction, waste products and amenity value. We endorse the Natural Capital Initiative’s promotion of the ecosystem approach as a holistic framework for sustainable development.”
Gearoid Lane, Director British Gas New Energy, Centrica plc
“Our business is dependent on the health of our natural resources and ecosystems which is why we put caring for the environment at the heart of our business. For example from setting challenging emission and packaging reduction targets, through to carbon labelling some of our products and helping our customers reduce their impact too. We know that even when consumers are trying to save money, the environment is still a priority for them so we will continue to make greener choices more affordable for our customers.”
Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs, Tesco
“As the global population and its consumption grow policy-makers need to perform a clever balancing act to ensure our planet can continue to provide all the services we need. We are working to support them through such projects as Countryside Survey and the Natural Capital Initiative to quantify, map and increase understanding of these ecosystem services, especially those that do not currently have an economic value.”
Professor Mark Bailey, Science Director of Biodiversity, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
“Natural capital, along with built, human and social capital, is an important component of the wealth of a nation. Ecosystem services are essential to human well-being and sustainable development. The value of ecosystem services in both monetary and non-monetary terms must be recognised in decision making.”
Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser, Defra
“If we were running a business with the biosphere as our major asset, we would not allow it to depreciate. We would ensure that all necessary repairs and maintenance were carried out on a regular basis. Our balance sheet would need to show that our working capital was maintained from year to year. The Institute of Biology is delighted to be a partner in the Natural Capital Initiative, and to bring the expertise of our members to bear on this issue.”
Professor Alan Malcolm, Chief Scientific Adviser, Society of Biology
“The consequences of climate change on the world’s resources are global, and every business needs to minimise its impact. Travellers are increasingly wanting to reduce their own impact on the environment, and transport providers must rise to the challenge of providing effective solutions to help their customers.”
Richard Brown CBE, CEO, Eurostar
“It is not just financial debt that needs our urgent attention. Our unsustainable exploitation of the natural environment for short-term economic gain has led to an ecological debt that now threatens our long-term well-being and competitiveness. Unless we appropriately value our natural capital we will continue to make economically irrational choices.”
Graham Wynne, Chief Executive, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
“Natural capital is typically undervalued or ignored. If we are to maintain and enhance the ecosystem services upon which human well-being depends then it is essential that we find an acceptable way of valuing that capital, otherwise we will continue to watch over the loss and degradation of our wildlife and natural resources.”
Professor Andrew Watkinson, Director, Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) Programme
“The current recession has reminded many of us that an obsession with ever greater wealth and material trinkets are not the path to a happy life. The environment contributes significantly to our spiritual well-being, but dealing with the needs of a growing population may soon greatly diminish the aspects that we can enjoy.”
Professor Philip Esler, Chief Executive, Arts and Humanities Research Council
“Healthy and thriving ecosystems are as essential to human well-being as they are for the ecologies they support. Climate change brings the risk of dangerous changes and extinctions which would be disastrous for the planet and irresponsible for us not to use all our efforts to avert.”
Rt Hon Elliot Morley MP, Chair, Energy and Climate Change select committee
“There is a renaissance underway, in which people are waking up to the tremendous values of natural capital and devising ingenious ways of incorporating these values into major resource decisions. The challenge for all of us is to replicate and scale these pioneering models of success, to balance economic, environmental, and social objectives in a sustainable way globally.”
Professor Gretchen Daily, Director of the Interdisciplinary Programme on Environment and Resources, Stanford University
“The Sirens calling for a return to the doctrine of ‘production at any cost’ must be resisted. In the long term food security will only be achieved by first securing the natural resources of soil, water and nutrients. And where those natural resources are secure, we also protect the iconic landscapes that are such an important part of our culture and identity and allow a wealth of wildlife to thrive.”
Dr Helen Phillips, CEO of Natural England
“Society is making massive demands on land, air, fresh water and the oceans. We’ve taken our natural environment for granted for far too long and we simply can’t continue to do this if we want to enjoy a happy, healthy and sustainable future. We must act to conserve our ecological systems, and recognise their true worth in decision-making, before it’s too late.”
Dr Hazel Norman, Executive Director, British Ecological Society
“In the light of climate change, understanding how the public think about and value the natural environment and how sustainable behaviours can be fostered, sets one of the greatest challenges for society today.”
Professor Nick Pidgeon, Professor of Environment Psychology, Cardiff University & ESRC Climate Change Professorial Fellow
“Scotland has already successfully implemented many of the principles of the ecosystem services approach in the River Basin Management Process. This gives us real opportunity to explore its success and the challenges of the approach in a live process - allowing us to consider how we can broaden the application of the ecosystem approach.”
Professor Maggie Gill, Chief Scientific Adviser, Rural Affairs and the Environment, Scotland
Rt Hon Ed Milliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
“Our massive and unintended experiment on the Planet’s reaction to unsustainable levels of human impacts is approaching crisis point. Ironically Earth’s response is already damaging the human life support systems it provides. The future is not yet beyond rescue, provided we take appropriate action with due urgency.”
Professor Lord May of Oxford
“It is becoming clearer that the challenges we face in provisioning safe, clean and affordable energy, water and food to our growing global population are intimately linked. Any effective strategy for solving these challenges will need to recognise the importance of maintaining our rich ecosystems. Scientists must clarify their understanding of the benefits that well-functioning ecosystems provide ‘behind the scenes’, for example in sequestering our carbon, purifying our water and pollinating our crops, and draw these to the attention of policy-makers.”
Professor John Beddington, HM Government Chief Scientific Adviser
“Finding a balance between securing our economy and protecting our ecosystems is essential for our future well-being. Key to this is how we produce, consume and conserve energy. Centrica is committed to producing and storing energy responsibly, and is working to help our British Gas customers to be more energy efficient. In sustainably meeting our energy needs, the challenge lies in the consideration of many factors; carbon emissions, air quality, habitat preservation, water abstraction, waste products and amenity value. We endorse the Natural Capital Initiative’s promotion of the ecosystem approach as a holistic framework for sustainable development.”
Gearoid Lane, Director British Gas New Energy, Centrica plc
“Our business is dependent on the health of our natural resources and ecosystems which is why we put caring for the environment at the heart of our business. For example from setting challenging emission and packaging reduction targets, through to carbon labelling some of our products and helping our customers reduce their impact too. We know that even when consumers are trying to save money, the environment is still a priority for them so we will continue to make greener choices more affordable for our customers.”
Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs, Tesco
“As the global population and its consumption grow policy-makers need to perform a clever balancing act to ensure our planet can continue to provide all the services we need. We are working to support them through such projects as Countryside Survey and the Natural Capital Initiative to quantify, map and increase understanding of these ecosystem services, especially those that do not currently have an economic value.”
Professor Mark Bailey, Science Director of Biodiversity, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
“Natural capital, along with built, human and social capital, is an important component of the wealth of a nation. Ecosystem services are essential to human well-being and sustainable development. The value of ecosystem services in both monetary and non-monetary terms must be recognised in decision making.”
Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser, Defra
“If we were running a business with the biosphere as our major asset, we would not allow it to depreciate. We would ensure that all necessary repairs and maintenance were carried out on a regular basis. Our balance sheet would need to show that our working capital was maintained from year to year. The Institute of Biology is delighted to be a partner in the Natural Capital Initiative, and to bring the expertise of our members to bear on this issue.”
Professor Alan Malcolm, Chief Scientific Adviser, Society of Biology
“The consequences of climate change on the world’s resources are global, and every business needs to minimise its impact. Travellers are increasingly wanting to reduce their own impact on the environment, and transport providers must rise to the challenge of providing effective solutions to help their customers.”
Richard Brown CBE, CEO, Eurostar
“It is not just financial debt that needs our urgent attention. Our unsustainable exploitation of the natural environment for short-term economic gain has led to an ecological debt that now threatens our long-term well-being and competitiveness. Unless we appropriately value our natural capital we will continue to make economically irrational choices.”
Graham Wynne, Chief Executive, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
“Natural capital is typically undervalued or ignored. If we are to maintain and enhance the ecosystem services upon which human well-being depends then it is essential that we find an acceptable way of valuing that capital, otherwise we will continue to watch over the loss and degradation of our wildlife and natural resources.”
Professor Andrew Watkinson, Director, Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) Programme
“The current recession has reminded many of us that an obsession with ever greater wealth and material trinkets are not the path to a happy life. The environment contributes significantly to our spiritual well-being, but dealing with the needs of a growing population may soon greatly diminish the aspects that we can enjoy.”
Professor Philip Esler, Chief Executive, Arts and Humanities Research Council
“Healthy and thriving ecosystems are as essential to human well-being as they are for the ecologies they support. Climate change brings the risk of dangerous changes and extinctions which would be disastrous for the planet and irresponsible for us not to use all our efforts to avert.”
Rt Hon Elliot Morley MP, Chair, Energy and Climate Change select committee
“There is a renaissance underway, in which people are waking up to the tremendous values of natural capital and devising ingenious ways of incorporating these values into major resource decisions. The challenge for all of us is to replicate and scale these pioneering models of success, to balance economic, environmental, and social objectives in a sustainable way globally.”
Professor Gretchen Daily, Director of the Interdisciplinary Programme on Environment and Resources, Stanford University
“The Sirens calling for a return to the doctrine of ‘production at any cost’ must be resisted. In the long term food security will only be achieved by first securing the natural resources of soil, water and nutrients. And where those natural resources are secure, we also protect the iconic landscapes that are such an important part of our culture and identity and allow a wealth of wildlife to thrive.”
Dr Helen Phillips, CEO of Natural England
“Society is making massive demands on land, air, fresh water and the oceans. We’ve taken our natural environment for granted for far too long and we simply can’t continue to do this if we want to enjoy a happy, healthy and sustainable future. We must act to conserve our ecological systems, and recognise their true worth in decision-making, before it’s too late.”
Dr Hazel Norman, Executive Director, British Ecological Society
“In the light of climate change, understanding how the public think about and value the natural environment and how sustainable behaviours can be fostered, sets one of the greatest challenges for society today.”
Professor Nick Pidgeon, Professor of Environment Psychology, Cardiff University & ESRC Climate Change Professorial Fellow
“Scotland has already successfully implemented many of the principles of the ecosystem services approach in the River Basin Management Process. This gives us real opportunity to explore its success and the challenges of the approach in a live process - allowing us to consider how we can broaden the application of the ecosystem approach.”
Professor Maggie Gill, Chief Scientific Adviser, Rural Affairs and the Environment, Scotland