Clegg : Time for a social environmental revolution (part one)

12 March 2008

Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on the need to set out the responsibilities of businesses, politicians and individuals

Speaking at the Green Alliance annual debate in London on Monday, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg will called for a social environmental revolution. Beginning with the formation of a Charter for Climate Change, Nick set out the rights and responsibilities of businesses, politicians and individuals.

Part one of the speech is below (check against delivery):

“I want to begin by saying thank you.
 
Today the green agenda sits at the pinnacle of Britain’s public agenda.

And that’s because people in this room - and so many others - have given their time, energy and expertise to further this vital cause.

Thanks to your leadership our country has started to develop a powerful collective green conscience.

In itself that is a massive step forward.Fifteen, ten, even five years ago the green agenda was often mocked by sceptics.

I know all about that.

My party has been talking for decades about the threat to Britain’s environment.

Until recently we were often the butt of jokes for our determination to do so.

Well, today, no-one is laughing.

I’m proud that we embraced this agenda when others lacked the foresight to do so.

And I can assure you that under my leadership, there will be no backsliding on our green commitment.

Quite the reverse.

While other politicians talk the talk on climate change, the Liberal Democrats intend to push the agenda for action further forward.

And there’s a growing market for that agenda.

It’s not just politicians and pressure groups who are interested.

Everyone’s talking about it.

Churches are, trade unions are, charities are.

And of course, businesses are.

Nowadays it’s hard to find a major company that hasn’t launched its own green campaign. Tesco, B&Q, Barclaycard, British Gas, O2, Royal & Sun Alliance, BSkyB, HSBC, National Express.

Even Honda’s Formula One team is accessed through a website called “my earth dream”.

Sometimes these campaigns make a real difference, enabling consumers to improve their own green record.

We should welcome that.

But we shouldn’t be naïve.

Green branding is no substitute for green action.

And all too often politicians and businesses use an excess of green language as a smokescreen for their dearth of green action.

Last year’s Green Standard Report - by the Green Alliance itself - demonstrated that point when it ranked political parties on their environmental policies.

Labour claims leadership on the environment, but a score of one green light out of six is no record to be proud of.

And for all the outdoor photo ops and all the green symbols that David Cameron has forced on the Conservative Party, the harsh reality is that when their policies are rated they still score zero.

That’s not to say that my party is perfect.

Three green lights out of six are better than our opponents managed.

And my party is grateful to have had your approval for the policy work that we have done on climate change, green living and environmental taxes.

But half scores are not good enough for me, not good enough my party, and not good enough for the environment.

So I want to talk to you today about my plans for the Liberal Democrats to widen our range of policy solutions to the challenges facing the environment.

But I also want to talk about the way in which we must realign responsibility for facing up to those challenges.

Because the truth is that we will never win the battle to protect our natural heritage until we see it as the joint responsibility of each and every one of us - politicians, businesspeople, individuals working together for the future of our planet.

And we’re not there yet.

Awareness of the green agenda may be greater than ever before.

But still - still - only 7% of the British people think that the environment is one of the biggest problems facing our country.

Given all the evidence and all the publicity how can this possibly be the case?

I believe it’s because government, business, and individuals view the environmental challenge from green silos.

Individuals blame government.

Industry blames circumstances.

And governments blame one another.

The enormity of the environmental challenge already discourages people from taking action.

It’s all so overwhelming - “What I do makes no difference” goes the refrain.

And the reluctance to act is only exacerbated by a feeling that someone or something else is to blame.

Someone or something else should shoulder more of the responsibility.

Well, this buck passing has to stop.

If we want to communicate to people the urgency of the task we face -

And inspire them to act

Then we need to demonstrate that we are all in this together.

That Government, business and individuals can trust one another to play their part in the war against climate change.

That Britain can respond with a social environmental revolution.

So let’s do just that.

Let’s apportion responsibility.

And let’s make clear what we expect from one another.

Today I’m launching a consultation on a Charter for Climate Change.

A covenant between government, industry and individuals.

A Charter that will affirm that each of us has the right to enjoy a clean and secure environment.

That makes clear the responsibility of every agency, company and person to do their bit.

That’s the way to bring about a movement for green action: to mainstream environmental action in our society.

When we learn to trust one another, green ideas will bloom.

Because it’s not the scale of the problem that’s in doubt, but our ability to tackle it.

The evidence is crystal clear.

In the Stern Report, in the Hadley Centre Report, in the IPCC Climate Change Report of 2007.

The global average temperature has increased by one degree since 1970.

Many of you will be familiar with the meaning of the number 450 - the maximum concentration of CO2 in parts per million by volume that can be allowed in the atmosphere if catastrophic climate impacts are to be avoided.

That tipping point will trigger a 2 degrees centigrade rise in average global temperature.

And many scientists now agree that tipping point will be crossed, regardless of what we now do to restrict carbon emissions.

Spring flowers bloom earlier than ever before in Britain.

But they are an ominous motif for the climate change that looms on our horizons.

Peter Smith, a professor at Nottingham University, has compiled a new and frightening report on the international picture.

He has found that tropical zones are expanding at a rate far in excess of IPCC predictions, with a sub-tropical climate now encroaching on southern Europe, south western USA, South America, southern Africa and southern Australia.

He concludes that the present rate of annual ice melt could lead to an ice-free Arctic Sea in little over twenty years.

Climate change threatens devastation to millions of the world’s poorest people at the same time as the world’s two major carbon sinks - the oceans and the rainforests - are losing their ability to absorb it.

But climate change is not the beginning and end point when it comes to protecting the environment.

The strongest criticism levelled at my party in last year’s Green Alliance report was our lack of policies on the natural environment.

Well, that sounds like a challenge to me.

Politicians are often guilty of following the main story to the exclusion of the bigger picture.

But protecting and enhancing Britain’s beauty, accessibility and wildlife must not be seen as an optional add-on to the pressing challenge of climate change.

In truth, these are different aspects of the same challenge.

If we are to conserve our planet for future generations we need to take a holistic approach.

We need to understand that as well as tackling climate change we must mitigate against potential harm to the landscapes and biodiversity in our urban and rural communities.

Every aspect of the green agenda is interlinked, and our policy solutions must reflect that.

And those policy solutions must be applied beyond national boundaries.

Because carbon emissions, like chemical pollution, or oil spills, are not bound by national borders.

So if we want Britain to take a meaningful and effective role in combating threats to the global environment, then we need a government that is prepared to lead.

Prepared to lead in the search for a post-Kyoto settlement.

And prepared to lead the way in helping developing nations to adapt to the climate change that developed countries like ours have caused.

That is not an easy role to fill.

It will require courage, determination and - without doubt - financial commitment.

Government and businesses alike will have to absorb the costs of their previous excesses and the losses associated with changing their current practice.

But that is the scale of our moral obligation.

Carbon dioxide emissions are higher now than when this government came to power.

Emissions from the energy supply and transport sectors, the two biggest polluters, are up.

And today the government is making clear its determination to build the first in a new generation of coal-fired power stations at Kingsnorth.

At a time when the Government should be working to reduce the UK’s emissions, ministers seem determined to allow a huge new polluting power station.

What planet is John Hutton living on?

Without carbon capture and storage, clean coal is a total myth.

This monstrosity will only emit 20% less than previous coal fired stations, and a massive 75% more than a gas powered plant.

Kingsnorth should not be given the go ahead unless carbon capture and storage is part of it from day one.

If ministers really want to take the lead on tackling climate change they must concentrate on promoting renewable power, increasing energy efficiency, and dramatically accelerating the development of carbon capture and storage.

Click here to read part two of Nick Clegg's speech
Click here to read the Liberal Democrats view on the Climate Change Bill

Applicablity: due to devolution, parts of this item refer to the whole UK and parts refer to only some sections of the UK.