Baroness Worthington, on joining EDF

March 16, 2016 — Bryony Worthington recently joined EDF to lead our work in Europe, which focuses on marine fisheries and clean energy.

By many measures humanity has never had it so good. Development of the earth’s natural resources has delivered higher living standards for a larger number of people than ever before. We feed, clothe, shelter and maintain the health of more people more successfully than ever before. Elements of this progress, however, have come at an obvious cost to the natural systems that support all life. Left unchecked, our lack of attention to these systems could not only harm the environment but also reverse much of what we have achieved for humanity. Despite our progress, we are currently facing an evolutionary bottleneck and there is no turning back. We must find a way forward that sustains human prosperity and environmental progress.

The good news is, we’re making progress in working out what we need to do and how to do it. The nations of the world have recognized the need to act together to address the risk of climate change and many are already taking action to relieve pressure on the natural world. The age of digital information has connected individuals to each other and to up-to-the-minute data about our environment, and it has done so just in time: Seeing our environmental challenges more clearly builds our sense of urgency as well as our ability to do something about them.

I’ve spent my career advocating environmental solutions, and this week I start a new phase, as the head of Environmental Defense Fund in Europe. I’m delighted to be joining an organization that has a remarkable history of accomplishment across five decades. Combining rigorous in-house scientific, economic and legal analysis with the goal of ‘finding the ways that work,’ Environmental Defense Fund has helped win a great many battles to preserve the natural world: banning DDT in the United States, thereby saving the bald eagle and other great American birds of prey; removing lead from petrol; using cap and trade to cut acid rain pollution from power plants and save the lakes and forests of the northeastern U.S.; reducing overfishing by promoting rights-based fisheries management; putting in place wildlife-friendly land management policies and low-carbon energy investments; and, most recently, leading an ambitious series of peer-reviewed scientific studies and partnerships with energy and technology companies that have helped expose the problem of methane leaks from oil and gas infrastructure.

Environmental Defense Fund has always been at the cutting edge of evidence-based advocacy, not afraid to try new approaches and take risks if the potential environmental benefit warranted it. For example, it was the first NGO to successfully partner with brands like McDonald’s, FedEx and Walmart, helping them bring about huge changes in their operations and supply chains. (And to remain independent, it does not accept funding from its corporate partners.) Its focus on science and data means it has avoided becoming bound by a rigid ideological belief system. And it has remained resolutely nonpartisan, ready to work with governments and stakeholders across the political spectrum. While Environmental Defense Fund works closely with many NGO partners, the combination of strengths it brings to the table is unique. I am proud to be helping to introduce the organization in Europe, because I believe it can complement the remarkable work already being undertaken here.

Historically, Europe has made great progress addressing environmental problems. But there is so much more to do. We in Europe are still learning from our experiences of what works and what doesn’t. We’re developing a knowledge-based economy and delivering innovation in technologies and services, but we remain dependent on a highly capitalized fossil-fuel infrastructure and the ‘traditional’ ways of doing things. I’m looking forward to using my experiences in the public, private, political and not-for-profit sectors to increase the pace of change here across a wide range of environmental issues. I’ve always been a campaigner and will always remain one. Joining Environmental Defense Fund is an exciting new opportunity to make an even greater difference. The green shoots of a new era of environmental responsibility are emerging – our job is to help them develop firm roots and flourish.

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