The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Is this the end of the "greenest government ever"?

Campaigners say coalition is "the most environmentally destructive government" since birth of modern green movement.

By Samira Shackle Published 05 December 2011 10:24

It was always questionable that a government which cut fuel duty, hit the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with the biggest cut in Whitehall, and turned a carbon-cutting incentive into a stealth tax could justifiably continue to claim it was the "greenest ever".

But let's just remember for a moment that the good intentions were there. When David Cameron came to power, pledged to make this "the greenest government ever", he said that he "cared passionately" about this agenda, and appeared to genuinely believe that there were possibilities in boosting environmental initatives:

We've got a real opportunity to drive the green economy to have green jobs, green jobs and make sure we have our share of the industries of the future.

Predictably, this has not been borne out. As soon became clear, the Green Investment Bank, oft-cited by ministers stressing their green credentials, will not be able to borrow for years, while George Osborne's Budget earlier this year cut fuel duty, and the government slashed subsidies for solar power.

Last week's Autumn Statement offered no improvement, with Osborne almost directly contradicting Cameron's earlier statement:

We are not going to save the planet by shutting down our steel mills, aluminium smelters and paper manufacturers. All we will be doing is exporting valuable jobs out of Britain.

In addition to this support for heavy industry, he spoke of the "ridiculous cost" that EU intiatives on the environment were imposing on firms, and emphasised the burden that green policies were placing on the economy. Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Environment Secretary, is said to be furious, having not been consulted.

It seems that this marks the end of the "greenest government ever" fallacy -- and a wide-range of environmental groups and activists have written to the Observer to mark their disapproval. One letter, from the heads of Greenpeace and the RSPB (among others) says:

Following the chancellor's autumn statement, we can say that the coalition is on a path to becoming the most environmentally destructive government to hold power in this country since the modern environmental movement was born.

At the heart of the problem is not just austerity, but the perception in government that pursuing green policies is an inconvenient burden on the economy rather than a necessity and an opportunity. Cameron's comments at the start of his premiership indicated that he understood the possibilities for jobs and growth afforded by a re-engineering of how the UK generates and uses its energy. The government's own National Ecosystem Assessment reiterated this.

Climate change talks in Durban are ongoing. But if the coalition continues to treat green issues as a hindrance to growth, not a boost, there is no doubt that the UK will fall behind.

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Tags: Environment George Osborne Green Politics

More from Samira Shackle

11 comments

Mon, 2011-12-05 10:46 — swatantra nandanwar

In times of autserity its awfully hard to be 'green'.
But poverty can help people to economise, cut down on meat, eat fresh but cheap food, cook for themselves, and save on energy, like switching off lights, living in just one warm room in the home and recycling stuff like Xmas wrapping paper. As children we made our own decorations and presents, presents like rafia mats and toys from washing up bottles.
I refuse to accept that the riots had 'poverty' as their basis. Nobody needs a plasma TV, or designer trainers, or expensive laptops.
It was simply theft.

Mon, 2011-12-05 12:49 — Stu (not verified)

@swatantra nandanwar
Trouble is everyone is so used to spending, wasting and getting some generous handouts from the Labour govt. - cuts will hurt but they are necessary, this is Labours fault and their legacy.

Mon, 2011-12-05 12:54 — John Emsley (not verified)

Get real, Samira.

As the man said-"there is no moey left".....

Ah yes Left...

Gesture politics with no commonsense basis as usual.

Nothing changes....

Mon, 2011-12-05 13:29 — Fergus Pickering (not verified)

Green people are rich people. It's one of their hobbies.

Mon, 2011-12-05 13:31 — swatantra nandanwar

Nonsense, the 'handouts' were the fault of all postwar Govts of both Parties.
Sir Francis Bacon put it quite aptly : The Virtue of Adversity is Fortitude.
The point is that there never is a perfect time to go 'green'; if you wait for all right conditions then you might as well wait for Xmas, or the No. 168 Bus.
The best time to start going 'green' is tomorrow.

Mon, 2011-12-05 14:35 — Fraziel1

Let's hope it is the end.And not before time. Chris Huhne is furious? Best thing i have read in ages. @Fox hunter and Fergus pickering, very well said.Out of touch wealthy liberal/ leftie elite living in cloud cuckoo land as usual, foisting this green rubbish on us that is costing ordinary folk a fortune.

Mon, 2011-12-05 15:56 — Ivan White (not verified)

1. The fiction

In 2006, months after becoming Tory leader, Cameron visited the Arctic Circle to highlight climate change – including being pictured with sled-pulling huskies – and announced he was having a wind turbine installed on his newly refurbished home to support green energy. At the same time, three solar panels were fitted to the roof of his £1.5 million home. In his first week as Prime Minister in May 2010, Cameron told civil servants at the Department for Energy and Climate Change: "I want us to be the greenest government ever – a very simple ambition and one that I'm absolutely committed to achieving”.

2. The truth

The funding for households who feed excess electricity generated by their solar panels into the national grid is to be cut from 43p to 21p per kilowatt hour (kwh) from December, doubling the length of time people would have to wait before their solar panels became economically viable. This move threatens 25,000 jobs in the solar panel industry.

The man who fitted solar panels to the roof of Cameron’s home has accused him of "lying" over his commitment to the environment. Brian Evans criticised the PM for "destroying" the solar electricity industry by slashing state subsidies for feed-in tariffs by more than half. Mr Evans, who runs his own solar panel installation business, said he was being forced to lay off his only two employees because the government was cutting funding for homes that generate solar electricity.

It doesn't stop there. This Tory-dominated government is raising the motorway speed limit to 80mph, adding more than two million tons a year to carbon emissions.

New rules will strip away protection of the countryside from development – the government has so far resisted a continuing, widespread campaign against the plans.

Ministers announced last year a mass sell-off of forests, despite no reference to it in either the Conservative manifesto or coalition agreement, but a public campaign forced a U-turn.

The Green Investment Bank has been blocked by Osborne from providing loans. It will not be allowed to borrow until 2015.

Ministers have scrapped a Conservative manifesto pledge to criminalise the possession of illegal tropical timber.

The Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, which diverted £20 million in taxes raised from the sand and gravel industry to 200 green projects, has been scrapped. The Sustainable Development Commission and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution have also been axed.

3. The results

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) said the recent decision to review targets for cutting emissions in half by 2025 makes business think Cameron is not really serious about being “the greenest government ever”. As a consequence, companies are failing to invest in urgently-needed renewable energy projects like wind and solar. Ultimately the delay could push up energy prices due to the government’s failure to see the potential in green energy.

Zac Goldsmith, a Conservative member of the EAC, said: "Investors will not provide the capital to replace Britain’s creaking coal-fired power stations with low carbon alternatives until they are certain of support. Without certainty, the UK will be left behind the rest of Europe and be forced to continue paying high prices for imported oil and gas”.

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