It was with great sadness that the Green Party learned of the death last week of Teddy Goldsmith.
A Green Party spokesperson said today: "Teddy, who was 80, was a colourful and controversial character. Although at times his views strongly diverged from those of the party he played such a key role in helping to found, he was a real pioneer of the Green movement and will be sorely missed."
As well as his ground-breaking "Blueprint for Survival," Teddy Goldsmith also published a three-volume study on The Social and Environmental Effects of Large Dams (1984-1992), robustly drawing attention to the negative consequences of the World Bank's development policies. For this, the government of Francois Mitterand awarded him the Légion d'honneur in 1991. Around the same time, he also presented a three-million-signature petition to the United Nations, calling for an emergency debate on the fate of the world's rainforests.
He founded the Ecologist, the most influential environmental magazine, and edited it for twenty years. As well, he was a passionate campaigner for the rights of indigenous people, and an early proponent for a steady state economy.
The spokesperson added: "The thoughts of Green Party members all around the country are with Teddy's wife Kathy and their family."
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