New Zealand Pure - What is meant by that?

Not So Pure,

Says Gareth Morgan...

Water poloution in the Wairarapa

We live in times of great prosperity – at least measured via conventional means such as GDP or national income per capita. Income per head is three times what it was fifty years ago in 1960, which is progress for sure even though we’re down to about 30^th in the world, having been steadily overtaken on that measure by other countries over recent decades.
On the inter-generationally measured Happy Planet Index, which measures happy life years per ecological footprint we slip to 28^th in the rankings. South American and Caribbean people live the longest, happiest, and most sustainable lives. We lose because of the resource & environmental depletion of the stuff we produce, consume and export.
The finger can be pointed at us as well-off, environmental pariahs clinging to resource-depleting practices and failures in the transition to sustainable economic development.
Against this backdrop just what is “100% Pure New Zealand” supposed to mean? Our economy boasts the 5^th highest per capita carbon emissions in the 34 member OECD, we’ve always been high, and there is no evidence of any transition from that. According to the Commissioner of the Environment, NZ is on track for emissions by 2020 of 30% above 1990 levels, despite making an international commitment at Copenhagen just last year, to reduce them by at least 10% by that time. Hypocrisy seems to rule...

But you read and make up your own minds. You're invited to click the links for extra information.

http://garethsworld/not-so-pure


http://www.ecologic.org.nz/?id=67&page=Environmental+problems+of+NZ+agriculture

http://www.terranature.org/environmentalissues.htm

http://www.consumer.org.nz/category/public-issues/environment

Ecospree...