民間組織走出去

By /Fred Krupp（弗雷德·克虜伯）

民間組織走出去

By /Fred Krupp（弗雷德·克虜伯）

NGO'S GOING ABROAD

美國環保協會主席Fred Krupp（弗雷德·克虜伯）在清華做專題演講

美國環保協會的故事開始于50多年前一場關于保護鸕鶿，一種可愛的鳥類的運動。上世紀60年代，美國長島的科學家驚訝地發現當地鸕鶿幼鳥的數量由于不知名的原因，急劇下滑至正常數量的七分之一。與此同時，禿頭鷹、游隼等其他猛禽的數量也出現了同樣驚人的跌幅。其中一些科學家通過科學研究追蹤問題的根源，發現噴灑殺蟲劑DDT（又稱“滴滴涕”）是造成這一現象的罪魁禍首。在通過科學的指證贏得了在美國全面禁止DDT使用的官司之后，為了進一步保護人類賴以生存的自然環境，這些科學家成立了美國環保協會。

事實上，美國環保協會創立于1967年，比美國聯邦環保局的成立還要早三年。說到1970年，一周之前，我們剛剛度過了第45個世界地球日，這個日子在現代環境運動史中是具有里程碑意義的一天。

1978年我從密歇根大學法學院畢業之后，創立了康

涅狄格環境基金會，這是我第一次接觸到環境運動。今天，這個基金會依然在保護著這里的土地、空氣和水，我也依然在主席委員會中任職。1984年，我進入美國環保協會并擔任執行主任，使我能夠站在更高的角度，從整個國家層面來考慮環境問題。

今天的美國環保協會與上世紀60年代那個初露頭角的小機構已經不可同日而語，但我們所堅持的科學原則卻歷久彌新。美國環保協會由一群科學家創辦，到現在我們的工作依然建立在最佳科學論據的基礎上。隨著科學的發展，我們也在不斷調整我們的工作方向。我們是美國第一家雇傭經濟學家來解決環境問題的環保組織。通過運用科學和經濟這兩把利劍，我們一直致力于為最緊迫的環境問題尋找解決方案。

我們將工作重點放在海洋、氣候、生態系統和人體健康等領域中，并跨越了國家的界限，因為這些問題已經成為全世界所面臨的共同挑戰。

在我執掌美國環保協會的30多年間，我見證了美國環保協會的逐步成長。我們的年預算從300萬美元增長到1.3億美元，員工從50人增加到500人，會員也從4萬名增加到超過100萬。但我認為其中最重要的變化是，它從上世紀80年代的一個美國本土組織逐漸走向了世界，除了美國的9個辦公室之外，目前已經在北京、上海、倫敦、墨西哥設立了辦公室。

從中你可以看到美國環保協會從本土到全球的轉變。我們相信“放眼全球，立足本地”對于民間組織的未來發展至關重要。

美國環保協會之所以選擇了國際化，除了作為公益性的環保組織擴展視野以外，也與世界的改變有關。比如，隨著交通和信息化的發展，人與人之間的聯系越發緊密。因此，要應對如氣候變化這樣的全球性危機，必須超越政府和區域的界限。

The Environmental Defense Fund story began nearly 50 years ago with the magnificent osprey, or fish hawk, one of the most beloved of all wild birds in America. Scientists on Long Island in the 1960s were shocked to find the number of osprey chicks had plummeted to about one-seventh normal, while the bald eagle, peregrine falcon and other raptors faced similar sharp declines. The scientists who founded EDF traced the problem to airplanes blanketing Long Island with the pesticide DDT.

We were actually founded in 1967 - some three years before the US Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970. Speaking of 1970, we have just celebrated the 45th anniversary of the founding of Earth Day in the US, one of the key dates in the history of modern environmentalism.

My own formal involvement with the environmental movement began after law school when I created the Connecticut fund for the Environment in 1978. That organization is still working to protect the land, air and water in and around the state and Long

Island Sound. I still serve on the President's Council. In 1984, I had the opportunity to move to a national stage as the Executive Director of the Environmental Defense Fund.

Today's Environmental Defense Fund bears little resemblance to the fledgling organization of the 1960s, except that science sets the agenda today just as it did at our founding. EDF was founded by scientists, and we've always based our policies on the best available science. If new evidence comes to light, we alter those policies accordingly. We were also the first environmental group to hire economists to help solve environmental problems. Guided by science and economics, we find practical and lasting solutions to the most serious environmental problems.

EDF has recognized that the priority problems we focus on -oceans, climate, ecosystems, and health -- transcend national boundaries. These are truly problems of the global commons. During the 30 years that I have been running EDF, I witnessed our organization continually growing stronger. Our annual budget has increased from 3 million dollars to 130 million dollars, and our employees have grown from 50 to 500. Our members also have increased from 40,000 to over 1 million. However, I think the most important transformation is that our organization has stepped onto a global platform since the 1980s, from a US domestic organization to an international non-profit with 9 US offices and international offices in Beijing, Shanghai, London, and Mexico.

In addition to expanding our horizons as a public interest environmental group, EDF's choice of the path towards internationalization also has to do with the changes around the world. With the globalization of information, transportation, and the economy, all of us are now connected to one another. Therefore, a global challenge such as climate change must be tackled beyond governmental and regional boundaries.

In my brief review of my experience, you can see the transition for local to global. We truly believe that it is critical to think globally and act locally.