Transcript Communicating Green Alliance - Environmental Funders Network

Politics and our environment:
Current prospects, and ways forward
Stephen Hale
16 January 2008
Overview
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The (environmental?) facts
Looking back: why they act – and why they don’t
Looking back: the state of the greens
Political outlook 2009-12
Environmental outlook 2009-12
New approaches to securing action
For more info see…
The New Politics of Climate Change: Reactions
“As I write this, less than 48 hours have passed since
Barack Obama’s historic win in the United States.
Politics matters. With a ‘rainbow’ coalition and sustained
grass-roots effort amazing things can be achieved.
Stephen’s pamphlet challenges us to work on climate
change in a similar way. All of us, change-makers and
funders of change, need to heed this call. The hour is
late and the road is steep.”
The New Politics of Climate Change: Reactions
“As Hale argues, we need different methods of
mobilisation and far more effort to secure cultural as well
as policy change if we are to overcome the present
paralysis. Hale’s pamphlet will provoke a debate on our
strategy, and how we can master the full suit of
influences we need to get us on the right path.”
The (environmental?) facts
• We have come a long way – in public understanding, political
action, and in overcoming some environmental issues notably point source pollution
But…
• a dramatic collective failure to tackle climate change
• We have not broken the link between economic growth and
greenhouse gas emissions and resource use
• Our failure in these areas profoundly threatens the progress
we hae made elsewhere.
• … a profound and terrifying clash of timescales
Looking back:
Why isn’t politics delivering?
• Bureaucracy
• Ideology – reluctance to regulate
• Politics: public resistance to action
Secondary constraints
• Nature of issues – ‘pollute now others pay later’
• Democratic culture
• Structures – global problems, national governments
The prospects for change:
‘I will, once you have’
central and local
government
fear of regulation
fear of nanny state
fear of free riders
fear of taxes
fear of costs
business
consumer
Looking back: the state of the greens
• Some successes, many failures
• Too often marginal and predictable
• High expectations of government – consistently un-met. Why?
• Mobilisation – limited, and overwhelmingly restricted to natural
supporters
• (Very) short of allies
• Development vs environment movements: evolution and
impact since 1997
Political Outlook 2009-12
• It’s the economy stupid
• Money and jobs first – change in public priorities not values
• Labour 2009-10 – what’s the project?
• Cameron’s Conservatives: Opposition first – then what?
• Labour – the long inquest post 2010
• A hung Parliament?
Environmental outlook 2009-12
The good news
• This is not 1991
• Climate – could connect with economic context
• Environmental behaviours – can we make it last?
• Copenhagen – progress (or backlash?)
• Labour – the global deal
• Cameron’s Conservatives: better instincts and wider
interests, but schizophrenic on government
• Liberal Democrats vital in a hung Parliament
What would success look like?
Four strands of third sector leadership
• National leadership and action – across the third sector
• Community, local and regional leadership
• A green movement - living differently and demanding more
• Mobilisation across borders
Third sector activity on climate change
Public commitment
Policy development
today
environmental advocacy
tomorrow
social mobilisation throughout the third sector
What coalition?
Which champions?
Government decisions
What access?
Current and future third sector action
on climate change
Characteristics
Today
Tomorrow
What motivates
those active on
climate change?
Overwhelmingly environmental, with some
activity motivated by concern for poverty in
developing countries
Global poverty, domestic poverty, security,
prosperity and employment, well-being,
health, human rights and environment
What is their focus?
Overwhelmingly focused on securing action
by individual national governments
Consistent demands made to national
governments, networks used to spread
individual commitment & lifestyle change
What do they
mobilise?
Overwhelmingly groups and individuals
concerned for the environment, recently
those concerned with international poverty
Communities: of places, faiths and
interests
What alliances?
Emerging alliance between environmental
and developmental concerns
Multiple alliances established across the
third sector
What level of
organisation?
Primarily national
Global, national, local
Mobilisation
low
high
What does this mean for environmentalists?
Approach
• Scale and ambition – work together on breakthrough initiatives
• Put climate change first
• Share responsibility – be a catalyst for wider national and local
action
Elements
• Invest time and resources in understanding obstacles, and
developing new approaches (No change unless we change)
• Build alliances (voluntary sector, unions, corporate)
• Build the movement – living differently and wanting more
• Mobilise across borders – in Europe and beyond
• Economics first – low carbon houses, jobs, finance…
• Politics – maximise our influence on a new (hung?) Parliament