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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