Living with the Environment

David has been monitoring environmental issues for over 20 years and has seen a huge change in how society views the environment. Concerns that some once regarded as green scare-mongering are now mainstream issues.

There is a growing awareness of the problems of how the environment should co-exist with modern lifestyles. To what extent should jobs come before the environment e.g. threatened species? Does a concern for the environment damage a national economy or enhance it? Are long term considerations more important than short term ones? If so, how does that fit with the typically short term view of politicians?

Should we protect key areas for conservation and exploit the rest of the earth mercilessly? If so, who decides what is worth conserving? Is a rare and little seen snow leopard more important than the common birds which cheer us daily? A talk full of surprises and ethical dilemmas designed to get an audience thinking and questioning.

David was responsible for designing and running several courses for the University of Glasgow's environmental sustainability degree program, and has also taught on environmental issues for the University of Edinburgh and the Open University, and so is a speaker extremely qualified to talk on this subject.