STANDING UP FOR GUERNSEY'S ENVIRONMENT
ABOUT US
WHO WE ARE
We are a group of Guernsey residents who care about some of the bigger issues facing the island and the planet.
We felt that the really big issues, the complex ones that affect all our futures, sometimes don't get enough attention. We believe that the dangers associated with climate change and biodiversity loss, whilst challenging to solve, have become critical.
Yes the economy is important, as is education, the health service, transport links and aging well, but how much of it matters if the environment on which we depend can no longer function properly.
We are committed to facilitating informed voting for a greener future by finding out the candidates' views on key environmental issues using a quantified questionnaire.
Our group has included representatives from a variety of backgrounds including environmental charities and organisations. The organisers include Camilla Smillie, Will Carter, Helen Quin, Rosie Dorey, Annie Sandwith, Rollo de Sausmarez, Andrew Munro and Emilie McSwiggan. All of us are involved as volunteers who care about the environment, and are contributing our own time and effort to this work. The group receives no external funding from any source.
Two of our organisers (Rollo and Emilie) have family ties to prospective election candidates. To avoid any conflicts of interest, they will not be handling the results of our survey, or questioning candidates at the hustings. For the avoidance of doubt, none of us are standing for Election ourselves, and none of us are affiliated to any political party.
Informed voting for a greener future
For the Island, the planet and for the future
WHY WE'RE DOING IT
Guernsey has a responsibility to be more sustainable. We need government policy to lead the Guernsey people and Guernsey businesses towards more sustainable choices.
Climate change, on the scale we are now experiencing, is a direct result of human activity, and it will take human activity to mitigate the damage we have caused.
From an island perspective we need to look after our biodiversity. Globally, nature is declining faster than at any time in human history, with a 60% decline in wildlife populations over the last 40 years alone. Current extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times higher than average over the past several million years. This has consequences to our economy – 50% of global businesses are dependent on nature and the economic cost of nature loss has been calculated to be 7.5% of GDP.
Further, we believe that those who have most responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions and most capacity to act must cut emissions first. Guernsey, as an affluent nation, needs to act and needs to implement climate policy that is equitable and fair. Climate equity is about fairness in the way we tackle climate change – among our own population, and as part of a global community.
Finally, we need to embrace the economic opportunity inherent in this green economic activity.