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issue 17 | summer 2007 “environmental policy has become sexy” page 3 “why haven’t they got it yet?” page 5 “a strong economy can go hand in hand with environmentalism” page 6 “create the conditions that make such leadership politically irresistible” page 8 “women are far more concerned than men” page 11 all the best for the future ideas for a new prime minister 2 3 issue 17 | summer 2007 issue 17 | summer 2007 comment noticing nutrients the quarterly magazine This issue headlines with extracts from our new publication Our new pamphlet calls for action on a significant scale. As with the carbon cycle, food and farming, and Ted Cantle OBE, deputy of green alliance Dear Gordon, a collection of open letters to the new prime minister. on ‘the least glamorous and we have overloaded natural systems in a short chair of the Environment Agency. It proposes a The letters, from leaders of environment and development charities, electorally appealing aspect span of time as we have industrialised and, in new policy framework for tackling the problems of environmental policy’ particular, as we have developed and applied caused by nutrient overload, based on a ‘closed 2 comment to business leaders and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, synthetic fertilisers to the land. Our injection loop’ approach that aims to cycle nutrients 3 NOTICING NUTRIENTS all call for more action on the environment. In the last few years, environmental policy has of vast quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus more effectively through our economy and a WEIGHTY PROBLEM To accompany these messages, Green Alliance director Stephen become sexy. Apart, that is, from the issue compounds into the environment has brought environment. Hale provides us with his view of the prospects for future political of human disruption of the nutrient cycle. It’s us immense short-term gains in prosperity 4 a ROUSING RECEPTION leadership on the environment. complex. It involves phrases like ‘the safe sludge and output. But the price could be long-term Dear Gordon is supported by Unison and Christian Aid. It’s a matrix’. And it certainly hasn’t inspired David degradation of essential natural life-support 5 RE-ENERGISING ENERGY Cameron or Gordon Brown to be photographed systems, adding to global warming, damaging great project for Green Alliance, as we aim for more of these broad 6 looking after the next to a large composting facility. water and soil quality and soaking up resources environment cross-sectoral initiatives. So should we be worried? In a word, in end-of-pipe pollution control and damage George Osborne also sets out the Conservative vision for the yes. The nutrient cycle is made up of two great limitation. Download a copy of the report from 8 future green leaders integration of economic and environmental policy, in an edited extract geochemical fluxes, those of nitrogen and Green Alliance’s new pamphlet, The www.green-alliance.org.uk from another recent Green Alliance pamphlet, A greener shade of blue? phosphorus, and human development has nutrient cycle: closing the loop was launched For more information contact Hannah Hislop 9 DEAR GORDON unwittingly brought disruption to these cycles in June by Lord Rooker, minister for sustainable [email protected] We are embarking on a whole new theme of work on climate 15 green alliance news change this summer, outlined by Rebekah Philips on page five. Hannah Hislop also writes in this issue about the need for urgent action on a Edited by Karen Crane frequently ignored but fundamentally important environmental issue, Designed by Howdy the nutrient cycle. We hope to raise awareness of the problem through Printed by Park Lane Press the publication of The nutrient cycle: closing the loop which we © July 2007 Green Alliance published in June. If the new prime minister and his team are a bit pushed for time a weighty problem All rights reserved. No part of this and want some instant inspiration for their new environmental policy The construction sector is the largest Green Alliance’s closing the loop project has taken publication may be reproduced, stored in a programme, together with an insight into the opposition’s latest single source of waste in England a keen interest in sustainable construction, and retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form thinking, they could do worse than pick up this copy of Inside Track. we have held meetings at the Eden Project in or by any means, without prior permission Thanks to the recent spotlight on household Cornwall and in London to discuss waste neutral in writing of Green Alliance. Within the UK, Enjoy your summer holidays. waste, and packaging in particular, you would be construction. The latest policy developments were exceptions are allowed in respect of any fair forgiven for thinking that this is where our waste discussed at a Green Alliance seminar in July. dealing for the purposes of private research problems begin and end. or study, or criticism or review, as permitted Actually, household waste makes up only under the Copyright, Design and Patent nine per cent of the 272 million tonnes of waste Act, 1988, or in the case of reprographic England produces every year. Construction and household waste makes reproduction in accordance with the terms demolition waste, on the other hand, makes up of the licences issued by the Copyright over a third of the remaining 90 per cent. Despite up only 9% of the Licensing Agency. its sheer scale, it is a much less visible problem 272 million tonnes than household waste, and so construction of waste England The views of contributors are not companies have come under far less public necessarily those of Green Alliance. pressure to do something about the 87 million produces every year tonnes a year they produce than the beleaguered retail sector. Furthermore, it is a sector that has been relatively untouched by policy instruments For further information please contact designed to reduce waste and increase recycling. Hannah Hislop. This is changing. The recent increase in the landfill tax escalator, which Green Alliance campaigned successfully for, will start to make the financial case for much greener construction waste practices. And the new waste strategy for England proposed a possible new target of halving the amount of construction, demolition and excavation waste going to landfill by 2012, * Error making the industry on the receiving end of one In the last issue of Inside Track we reported that of the strategy’s few sectoral targets. It will be packaging waste makes up 30 per cent of the followed up by a sustainable construction strategy average bin and 18 per cent of total waste. It is in Produced with support from the from the newly formed Department for Business, fact 20 per cent of the average bin and less than Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. Russell Marsh, head of policy Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. five per cent of total waste. Apologies. 4 5 issue 17 | summer 2007 issue 17 | summer 2007 Feeling run-down by all this talk about energy? Feel like the same territory has been gone over again and again? You’re not alone Green Alliance’s summer reception 2007 debated the question ‘Is it up to politicians to save us?’ re-energising a rousing reception energy The lush, green, modernist surroundings of the here has been an almost endless Add the fact that the government’s proposed Royal College of Physicians at Regents Park was the treadmill of reviews and white papers target ignores likely future emissions from air on emissions reduction and energy transport and shipping and we are aiming far appropriate venue for some innovative thought about over the past three years. In the past too low. An alternative trajectory is proposed, the role of politicians in tackling environmental issues. eighteen months alone we have seen by organisations such as the Tyndall Centre the climate change programme review (March (Living within a carbon budget, 2006), aiming Entertaining arguments against were made by 2006), the energy review (July 2006), the Stern for a stabilisation level of 450ppm, which equates review on the economics of climate change to a cut of around 80 per cent by 2050, compared Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the RSA, and Julia Hailes, (November 2006) and most recently the energy to the 60 per cent currently in the bill. white paper (May 2007). And it doesn’t end there. Green Alliance’s new work will focus author of the New Green Consumer Guide. An equally spirited The most recent energy white paper has initiated on persuading politicians of all parties of the defence came from Mark Lynas, writer a raft of further consultations on many of the mismatch between ambition and achievement, same issues. You might ask, “why haven’t they and the need for stronger and more coherent and activist, and Phil Bloomer, Oxfam’s got it yet?” policies. Our work is based around three core Green Alliance is gearing up to address areas: the tools and frameworks needed to deliver campaigns and policy director. this very question through our new climate the targets; making the case for a heat strategy Over 200 guests packed change theme and low carbon heat technologies; and increasing For now, the reality that we are not yet on political commitment to a more ambitious into the lecture theatre to hear top of our rising emissions is about to become very approach to carbon capture and storage. We are stark. The government is going to commit itself to also adding our voice to the calls for a faster the arguments, debate with the panellists and targets that it is not prepared to ensure it reaches.

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