Crisis could shift focus to environment

The financial crisis and its aftermath could help set the stage for the transformative changes urgently needed to help the planet sustain life, a distinguished U.S. environmentalist said yesterday.

The meltdown of financial markets galvanized governments and a concerned public watched as they acted in concert, adjusting their policies in response to emerging leadership, James Gustave (Gus) Speth said in an interview.

"The central role of government in regulating the economy and protecting people has certainly been confirmed - and dramatically confirmed - during this crisis," said the dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University.