A Conservative approach to the environment?

StewBl@ck

One of the Labour’s successes in recent years has been to produce a coherent approach to climate change and environmental policy. The Climate Change Act, which received royal assent on the 26^th November 2008, sets out a policy involving centralised targets to reduce carbon emissions and altering the UK energy infrastructure and government framework to better tackle the global problem of climate change.

I’m no great supporter of centrally set targets, but in this instance it is a powerful and measurable way to ensure that industry reduces carbon emissions, which is a profound contributor to the overall environmental crisis. These targets are a vital part of any response to the environment.

On the other hand, one of the more disappointing aspects of Labour’s time in government has been an approach to the countryside which, at times, has bordered on neglect. Maybe it is not especially surprising that Labour, a party forged from the industrial working class, doesn’t seem to have been overcome by concern for rural communities. Most of Labour’s MPs represent urban constituencies in parliament and who can forget John Prescott concreting over the rural south of England to make way for pokey housing estates. The 2004 ban on fox hunting may have been popular with townies but has contributed to the alienation of rural communities from Labour.

The important point here is that Labour is an urban political party and while Labour ministers excel at centralised targets on industrial carbon emissions or insulation for urban homes, there is something about the party that doesn’t seem to deal with rural communities very well. At least, Labour does not have an impressive record on rural affairs.

This factor may, at first, appear unrelated to the wider problem of the environment. But the global crisis of climate change is also a problem of community and countryside. The environment theorist and climate change guru, James Lovelock, argues that we must see the world’s ecosystem as a continuous system operating on a series of different levels. These rural communities where our food is produced and our forests and national parks managed are in the same system as that where the polar ice caps are melting and the rainforests destroyed.

Let us take the example of one of the most difficult problems to hit the countryside in recent times; Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) where honeybee hives die out at alarming rates. The problem is most concerning since honeybees are involved in the pollination of countless different species of plant; including many that produce our food. The phenomenon appears to be profoundly complex and the possible causes of the problem range from climate change, insect parasites or viruses, malnutrition, intensive farming and the widespread use of differing types of insecticide.

It is probable that there is a range of causes of CCD, some of which are on a global scale and others linked to farming practices or even the habits of specific bee colonies. Yet in order to effectively address climate change, the earth needs a healthy ecosystem. In turn, a healthy ecosystem requires a healthy honeybee population. In short, CCD is a problem linked to global climate change, but must be addressed at both the global level and in rural communities by adapting farming practices.

To some extent, Labour have led the way on climate change so far and their approach, including centralised targets and energy efficiency drives, must form a key plank in any environmental policy. Yet Labour have shown themselves to be unfortunately out of touch with the needs of rural communities. But at some stage environmental policy must be integrated into rural policy.

There is some hope that the Conservatives are better placed to implement this. The Tories are, after all, more closely connected with rural Britain, with ties to the Countryside Alliance, for example. Many Conservative MPs represent largely rural constituencies and will receive regular comments from their constituents.

A key step in addressing climate change is building strong and sustainable rural communities, adapting farming practices to a new landscape brought about by the changing climate and managing our own rural patch in a way that best contributes to the good of the planet. With most commentators predicting a Conservative victory in next year’s general election, we have to hope that the Conservatives are the best party to carry on with the fight against climate change.