Many are convinced that protecting the environment is synonymous with sacrifices to economic growth.
Certainly when it comes to politics (from either side of the mainstream spectrum) more weight is given to short-term job creation and archaic, irrelevant measures such as GDP that attempt to align a generic idea of wellbeing with disposable income, than long-term economic sustainability. I have discussed this before, noting that GDP simply measures movement of money not actual growth, particularly due to the fact that GDP goes up during a natural disaster.
To me, looking after the environment is actually improving our economic growth by protecting it for years to come.
We need to understand that future economic growth is not all about those of us who are currently in charge of the planet getting rich quick, but about the longevity of economic benefits. I am more concerned about whether there will be jobs for my two-year-old daughter when she finishes school than I am about me enjoying all the mod cons.
This debate came to a head recently when, much to the disgust and shock of those submitting the application an extractive-industry proposal to mine the seabed was turned down by the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposal described the area, where thousands of people catch fish, not far away from classic New Zealand surf breaks as a "barren ironsands wasteland".