18 June 2006

New Economy: UNEP's Steiner Debunks Myth of Environment vs. Economy

According to a Reuters/Planet Ark interview, Achim Steiner, the new head of the UN Environment Program, wants to see better links between economy and environment:

OSLO - The world must lay to rest a "myth" that protecting the environment harms economic growth, the new head of the UN Environment Programme said on Thursday.

Achim Steiner, a 45-year-old German, said he would seek to involve consumers, governments, businesses and activists in developing new economic mechanisms to protect the planet from threats ranging from climate change to pollution.

"Care for the environment is often portrayed as detrimental to economic growth," he told on his first day as head of the United Nations' top environment body.

"We hope to lay that myth to rest in the 21st century," he said by telephone from UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, setting out priorities for a four-year term.

Read the full interview here: Planet Ark

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