May 7th, 2011 by Friends of the Earth
The likelihood of the coalition Government living up to its ‘greenest Government ever’ pledge is “vanishingly remote” without a huge improvement in its performance, former Sustainable Development Commission chairman Jonathon Porritt warns in a Friends of the Earth-commissioned report.
Following the scrapping of the Sustainable Development Commission earlier this year there is now no formal scrutiny of the Government’s green record – a void Friends of the Earth aims to help fill with this report.
At the request of the green campaigning charity, Jonathon Porritt has reviewed the Government’s performance over the last year and analysed how well it matched up to green promises made in both opposition and in power.
The report identifies numerous examples of the Government’s failure to champion green issues.
These include:
However, the report does welcomes a number of green initiatives by the Coalition Government. These include: Scrapping plans to expand airports in the south east of England, agreeing to roll out smart meters to 30 million homes from 2014 and announcing the world’s first Renewable Heat Incentive.
The report concludes:
It is clear the ‘growth at all costs’ lobby has won out over the advocates of sustainable economic development. There are also growing fears that Treasury officials are pressurising Ministers to reject new carbon reduction targets recommended by the Government’s official advisor, the Committee on Climate Change.
Jonathon Porritt said “the Prime Minister’s own credibility is at stake here – as is that of the Liberal Democrats who have clearly failed to use their influence inside the Coalition to ensure a better performance on the environment and sustainable development.
“It’s certainly not too late, but things are going to have to change dramatically to make up lost ground.”
Friends of the Earth’s Executive Director Andy Atkins said “confidence in David Cameron’s boast to run the ‘greenest government ever’ is fading fast.
“Rather than creating a green and safe future, his Government has steadily dismantled pledges and policies that would help him achieve it.
“David Cameron could be building a prosperous low-carbon economy out of the rubble of the old, creating new jobs and industries for recession-hit Britain – but green development is continually being sacrificed in favour of growth at any cost.
“Unless the Prime Minister starts to show real political courage and leadership on the environment his green ambitions will simply be more hot air.”
—–
Jonathon Porritt is one of the UK’s most eminent environmentalists. He was a former executive director of Friends of the Earth. He co-founded Forum for the Future in 1996, and was Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) between 2000 and 2009. The SDC was scrapped earlier this year.