Horizons Regional Council's Rachel Keedwell: Environmental stewardship role critical

Rachel Keedwell says it is not possible to continue living with a model of infinite growth when we live on a finite planet. Photo / Supplied

OPINION:

This is my last column before the local government elections in October as election season begins soon. I want to leave you with a few thoughts about why I stood for Horizons and what I believe is important.

When I first became interested in the decision-making happening at Horizons, I saw that farming and business interests had strong representation, but there was not an equally strong understanding of the importance of protecting our environment into the future. I chose to use my background in ecology and conservation to bring that voice to the table. I have been speaking up for our environment and our communities for almost nine years and would like the opportunity to continue to do this for another term.

I believe the regional council role of environmental stewardship is critical and must be given priority consideration in decision-making. We have no planet B and no plan B if we destroy our environment. For too long we have treated the environment as an endless source of resources to be exploited and used for personal gain and private profit. All too often, our business models rely on the free subsidy given by the environment. This results in privatisation of the profits, but socialisation of the costs when extracting those profits causes environmental or societal harm.

It just isn't possible to continue living with a model of infinite growth when we live on a finite planet – to believe otherwise is to ignore the reality that human beings are part of the web of life on this planet. For too long humans have considered themselves superior to all other life forms, as though this intricately balanced ecological web of life does not apply to us.

Gallingly, we have also viewed that Western or developed cultures are more civilised yet we have failed to observe that this civilised approach has taken us further and further from the crucial understanding that we are a part of, not separate from, nature, an understanding so-called primitive cultures have a much firmer grasp on.

We see Western science as superior to indigenous knowledge, yet it is the exclusive focus of Western science that is largely responsible for us ending up in the predicaments we now find ourselves. Believing that some as-yet-undiscovered technology is going to solve all our problems is ignoring what caused those problems.

Issues such as climate change, societal breakdown, pollution, species extinction and resource depletion are merely symptoms of the larger problem of ecological overshoot or, in other words, living well beyond the means of this finite planet. Addressing the cause of this problem will involve a systemic change in how humans operate, a change that is magnitudes larger than just putting out your recycling or exchanging your petrol car for an electric one.

These problems are slightly larger than what is solvable at the regional council, but I'm doing what I can to change our thinking and to secure hope for future generations.

• Rachel Keedwell is Horizons Regional Council chairwoman