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A Critical Analysis of WWF
Introduction
WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is one of the largest ‘environmental and sustainability NGOs
[Non-Governmental Organisation]…’ in the world (Thiele, 2013, p. 137). As a result of its
size, the organisation can focus on a whole range of issues, such as climate change, wildlife
restoration and anthropogenic activity; which all fall under the hyponym of sustainable
development (WWF, 2013). Such issues of concern, hope to be addressed in order to
achieve environmental, conservational but also political and economic change. Therefore,
creating a ‘…future in which people and nature thrive’ (WWF, 2013, p. 4). However, with
record levels of species becoming extinct, carbon emissions and global temperatures rising
rapidly; can WWF really make a difference? (See WWF, 2013, p. 4; WWF, 2012, p. 1). This
cardinal question will be answered through critically analysing the conservational and
environmental aspect of WWF’s website, with the aid of three sub questions. These
questions entail: how does WWF propose to implement change; what is the organisation’s
purpose, visions and values, and how does WWF plan to meet and implement such
changes?
WWF: Why Environmental Change?
WWF is an environmental NGO that engages in political, sustainability, conservational and
environmental change. When highlighting the role of environmental and sustainability NGOs,
such as WWF, Thiele (2013, p. 137) strongly suggests that they ‘…play a crucial role in
protecting the natural world and promoting social benefits’. If we expand on this notion of
sustainability and sustainable development, it is not a new name for environmental
protection, but rather a process of change for ‘…economic and fiscal policies, trade and
foreign policies, energy, agriculture, and industrial policies [that] aim to induce development
paths that are economically, socially and ecologically sustainable’ (Lalferty, et al., 2002, p.
XVII). Therefore, as Brown (in Thiele, 2013, p. 140) suggests; ‘saving civilization is not a
spectator sport’. Hence suggesting that sustainable development and change need to occur
on an individual, as well as a global level, as even small changes can dramatically alter
global systems (Paul, et al., 1992). ‘Think globally but Act locally’ is a phrase that comes to
mind when discussing sustainability and environmental change on an individual, pragmatic
level; which NGOs such as WWF try to accomplish (Ostrum, 2010, p. 55).
Many environmental and sustainability NGOs also strives for political and conservational
change, by encouraging other organisations and companies to reduce the amount of waste
and pollutants they exhume into the environment. Therefore, political change is an important
engine of development, especially when discussing Environmental NGOs, as it can shape
new policies such as hunting acts, or update older ones in order to create a more
sustainable planet; both economically and environmentally (Paul, et al., 1992).
Conservational change, which falls under the umbrella of environmental change, is also a
large part of WWF’s main aims, as the organisation hopes to decrease anthropogenic
activity and maintain a handful of animal habitats (Paul, et al., 1992). Climate change is an
issue of concern that appears when highlighting both environmental and conservational
change. As if humans aim for sustainable development, there is a need for anthropogenic
activity that threatens the climate, biodiversity and human activity itself, to stop (Paul, et al.,
1992).
Why do we need change? Environmental, sustainability, political and conservational change
is desirable for a multitude of reason, which primarily revolve around reducing the damaging
effects of climate change. The effects of climate change include a rise in global temperature
(around 0.55 degrees Celsius between 1950 and 2006), an increase in the rate of extinctions
(estimated at 11 per cent by 2100), and the increase in areas of land that are subject to
deforestation and desertification (Brodie, et al., 2012; Maclean & Wilson, 2011). These
effects will affect animals and plants, as well as humans living on the planet. Such effects
could be observed directly through changes in climate, but also indirectly, as ‘there is no
doubt about the usefulness of genetic, biological and ecological variety [and scientific and
practical implications] in nature’ (Paul, et al., 1992, p. 25). One can even argue the morality
of not pushing for environmental and conservational change, as the aforementioned
incentives for change lack a human dimension; hence Oksanen (1997, p. 541) suggests that
‘…one should protect biodiversity [as] an ultimate moral principle if we are moral monists’.
Furthermore, Huggett (2003, p. 2) proposes that ‘…change is the norm, constancy the
exception’. Therefore, humanity is constantly changing, and environmental, political and
sustainability change are all fluid and ‘the constant’ (Huggett, 2003, p. 2).
WWF: Purpose, Vision, Values and Implementation
WWF is a globally widespread NGO created during 1961 (WWF, 2013). The organisation
adopts an ethos/ underlining principal of; ‘people living in harmony with nature’ (WWF, 2013,
p. 1). The organisation is about respecting and valuing the whole of nature, and equally
distributing the Earth’s natural resources evenly; between humans and nature (WWF, 2013).
This underlining principal is only made achievable through what WWF describe as six ‘Big
Wins’ (WWF, 2013, p. 1). These targets include; the restoration and safeguarding of
endangered species, increasing the amount of maintained forests and oceans, conservation
of the world’s great rivers, creating a sustainable timber and seafood trade, the reduction of
global carbon emissions, and finally, valuing nature in economic and political policy (WWF,
2013). WWF has created these ‘Big Wins’, as they plan to segment this main target into
digestible, more achievable goals, through using ‘…experience, credibility and influence to
help create long-term solutions to global threats to people and nature…’ (WWF, 2013, p.
110).
WWF’s vision can be encapsulated into a short sentence. ‘We want a world with a future in
which people and nature thrive (WWF, 2013, p. 4). Currently, reports such as the Living
Planet Report highlight the devastating effect of anthropogenic activity on biodiversity, as
global biodiversity saw around a thirty percent decrease between 1970 and 2008 (WWF,
2013). This figure is projected to rise to sixty percent if we continue to emit greenhouse
gasses, accelerate global deforestation and exploit nature (WWF, 2013). Parallel to the
organisation’s vision, their role and approach follow this ethos of reducing human activity
and creating a more sustainable future. This can be seen in Figure 1, as the organisation
highlight their main role and key strategies to help ‘…safeguard the natural world’ (WWF,
2013, p. 4). Furthermore, the organisation’s approach to ‘…safeguarding the natural world’ is
one of ‘connect[ing] people’; as WWF highlights that ‘…people have [a] responsibility
towards the natural world… [as the Earth] is vital as the source of our food, clean water,
health and livelihoods’ (WWF, 2013, p. 4).
Figure 1 - A Diagram Showing the Role of WWF (World Wildlife Fund) (WWF, 2013, p. 4)
A key question surfaces when discussing the role of WWF. This question is: how does the
organisation plan to make its aspirations possible, and carry out its aims? WWF meets a
large percentage of its aims through influencing political and economic policies. Examples of
this can be seen in countries and continents with large expanses of forests, such as in
Brazil, China, India and Africa; where WWF has created reserves and set up priority places
for safeguarding endangered animals (WWF, 2013). Their influence has also helped to bring
the concept of sustainability to the economic landscape, as WWF helped some of the UK’s
(United Kingdom’s) largest companies reduce their annual flights by 41 per cent, and by
doing so; cutting company carbon dioxide emissions by 3600 metric tonnes (WWF, 2012).
Furthermore, WWF has multiple projects where they work in partnership with companies and
organisations such as Sky, where both participants concentrate on raising awareness of
deforestation, especially in the Amazon Basin (WWF, 2012). Therefore, WWF believe in
cooperation and working with other, which is seen not only on a global level; through
partnerships with companies and organisations, but also on an individual level (WWF, 2012)
As people can show support through adopting an animal, campaigning, changing one’s
lifestyle and offering financial support (WWF, 2012).
An Analysis of WWF
If we start by analysing the main pages of WWF’s website, we can see that the organisation
refers to sustainable development in some way, shape or form. These pages, which refer to
how the organisation plans to implement sustainability across the environmental, social,
economic and political landscape; adopt a task-based, pragmatic perspective (WWF, 2012;
Gough & Scott, 2006). One element of a task-based perspective, is one of social rather than
environmental concern. Hence, if nature is threatened, it has not arisen due to the law of
science but rather the behaviour of human/ anthropogenic activity (Gough & Scott, 2006). If
we apply this model to WWF’s website, one can see that the organisation attempts to
educate its viewers in the ‘social’ rather than ‘environmental’ through proving information and
advocating sustainable lifestyle choices, as ‘…people can be trained, cajoled, manipulated
or empowered, to better respond and/ or act’ (Gough & Scott, 2006, p. 280). However, by
adopting this way of thinking; people who adopt different or opposing views of sustainability
or conservationism, might seem in need of more educating; as ‘…if you think like me you
must be empowered, if you don’t then you need more educating’ (Gough & Scott, 2006, p.
280). Concern also arise when advocating a solely social perspective, as further bias, or
ulterior motives can arise, as from one perspective the website might be seen as taking an
ecocentric viewpoint; through weighing ‘…the interests of living things equally with those of
humans’ (Gough & Scott, 2006, p. 280). However, from another perspective the change that
WWF’s website is trying to promote, could be solely seen as concerning itself with
environmental factors in order to safeguard human welfare and interests (Gough & Scott,
2006).
By taking a pragmatic perspective, we can see that the website operates in the present by
suggesting there is a need to act here and now. As the website emphasizes the number of
endangered animals which are living, and the effects of climate change on the planet in the
foreseeable future (WWF, 2013). Therefore, WWF aims to make a difference here and now,
as they ‘…cannot wait for all the ‘I’s and ‘t’s to be dotted and crossed’; they must act before it
is too late (Gough & Scott, 2006, p. 283).
Emotive language and images are used quite effectively throughout the organisation’s
website. Images and videos are used ‘…as sophisticated story telling methods, helping us
better understand narrative and its associated elements…’ (Stratford, 2011, p. 12). These
‘sophisticated story telling methods’ reveal how human and anthropogenic activity lead, both
directly and indirectly, towards to the ‘murder’ of endangered animals, such as the tiger
(WWF, 2013; Stratford, 2011, p. 12). Parallel to these visual tools, emotive language and
imagery is used as a means of evoking emotion, through the use of picturesque depiction of
animals and the use of classic conditioning (See Hudd, 2000, p. 74). In addition to emotive
language, there is an ethos of consumerism to be found throughout the website, as sponsors
have the option of receiving gift sets, which include cuddly toys (See WWF, 2013).
Sustainability is a constant, which remains in all aspects of the website and its ethos. WWF
exhibited attributes associated with ecolinguistics; hence, ‘…questioning the stories [actions]
that underpin our current unsustainable civilising…and finding new stories that work better in
the conditions of the world we face’ (Stibbe, 2013, p. 1). The website constantly questions
human activity, especially in a negative outlook. Examples of this can be seen in the way
that the organisation refers to anthropogenic and human activity, such as climate change,
illegally poaching and deforestation in a negative light; while also suggesting ‘new stories’ to
combat such problems (WWF, 2013; Hudd, 2000, p. 1). Therefore, the main purpose of
WWF is to promote sustainable development and change because, ‘if everyone had the
same lifestyle as people in the developed world, it would take three planets to feed, cloth,
transport and home them’ (WWF, 2012, p. 24).
Conclusion
WWF is one of the largest environmental NGOs, which supports a whole range of
sustainability, conservational, political and economic change. The organisation and its
website cement a deep ethos of; changing the world through individual change, as ‘saving
civilization is not a spectator sport’ (Thiele, 2013, p. 140). However, Thiele (2013, p. 140)
also suggests that this goal of ‘saving civilization’ cannot be achieved by individuals solely
engaging in ‘lifestyle changes’. Furthermore, WWF plans to implement extensive change by
2018 through their six ‘big wins’ (WWF, 2013, p. 1). By observing and interacting with the
organisation’s website it is clear to see how WWF has used emotive imagery and language,
and promoted consumerism in order to popularise their message of; ‘…safeguarding the
natural world’ (WWF, 2013; WWF, 2013, p. 4). Therefore, WWF (2013, p. 110) concludes
that environmental NGOs such as WWF, ‘use experience, credibility, and influence to help
long-term solutions to global threats’. However, as carbon dioxide emissions are rising
yearly, global biodiversity levels decreasing annually, and the Earth’s finite resources are
diminishing year on year; can the WWF really create positive change? (WWF, 2013).
Word Count: 2,176
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