Minister for Environment and Sustainability Prof John Cortes, who is a member of the Global Council for Political Reform (GCPR), chaired the second meeting of its sub-Council, the Council for Environment and Equitable Development, a virtual event with nearly 100 participants from around the world.

The theme of the meeting was “The climate is changing, why aren’t we?”.

Contributors to the discussion included Dr Bernardo Ivo Cruz, Portugal’s Secretary of State for International trade and Foreign Investment, Felix Fuebtebella, Undersecretary, Department of the Environment, the Philippines and Prof Mark Howden, Director for Climate of the Australian National University and Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group.

The main messages from the presentations and panel discussions were the reality of climate change and the importance of social justice and inclusivity in arriving at solutions. It was a clear conclusion that lifestyles have to change, and are changing, but not quickly enough, that positive climate action is beneficial socially and economically, with GDP increasingly being considered a flawed measure of progress.

The GCPR is an international organisation bringing together politicians and academics from around the world who share the vision of encouraging a high standard of ethics and civic discourse in political life and who strive for global peace and justice.

Minister Cortes is one of the founder members of the organisation.