Share opinions, knowledge online on green topics

NEW DELHI - Now green activists and enthusiasts can share their views, knowledge and even debate issues concerning the environment and nature on a new ‘Opinions’ page launched by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on its website.

The IUCN, the world’s oldest and largest environmental organisation, launched the opinion page Thursday.

‘While we, as an organisation, will maintain our scientific rigor and strict neutrality in defending nature conservation, we wanted to provide our experts and members a space to freely express themselves, get feedback from a wide audience and generate informed debates around the big issues of our time,’ said Julia Marton-Lefèvre, director general of IUCN, in a statement.

The IUCN wants the new page to become a place where experts, scientists and people active in the field can share their views and knowledge about the burning environmental issues. The page also allows visitors to post comments and opinions, the statement said.

‘I think this new feature on our website will allow not only our members and experts to exchange views, but will be of interest to the general public and the media too, in order to familiarise themselves with the major trends in conservation thinking,’ said Mario Laguë, head of global communications at IUCN.

‘We want to use this to raise the awareness and the level of knowledge about the serious issues the world is facing, while making it interesting and, if need be, controversial,’ Mario added.

The page was launched with an article by IUCN’s Indian president Ashok Khosla on the US President Barack Obama titled ‘A new President for the United States: We have a dream’.