A recent report by Oxford University academics has blamed
environmental charities for ‘sexing up’ the threat of
climate change in an attempt to increase public donations and
political influence. Well-known charities such as WWF-UK and Friends of the Earth
have been accused of exaggerating the link between climate change
and the threat of extinctions. The organisations’ claims
include the projection that one quarter of the world’s
species will be extinct by 2050. Dr Paul Jepson of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute
expressed his opinion that charities have “overstated the
evidence in order to meet fundraising targets.” Dr Richard Ladle, an Oxford University ecologist who also
contributed to the report, has said that most species cited as
being in danger of extinction by 2050 are, in reality, likely to
still be living. WWF-UK have defended themselves by claiming that they need to
simplify issues in order to appeal to the public effectively and
that the comments were “unfair”.ARCHIVE: 1st week TT 2004
Sexy environmentalists cry wolf
