http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/3rdGenerationEnviron/ en chris.littlecott@e3g.org Copyright 2008 2008-03-02T16:38:07+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/a-real-shift-in-green-politics/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/a-real-shift-in-green-politics/#When:16:38:07Z The Independent on Sunday today carried an excellent piece by veteran environmental journalist Geoffrey Lean today, in which he teases apart the increasingly green appearance of UK politicians. The article, Today, the plastic bag. Tomorrow… even more words? , points out that even Boris Johnson has made efforts to shake off his previous anti-environment reputation in his bid to become Mayor of London. Lean questions whether such shows of greenery are really here to stay, but does find evidence to show that they might be: As Bob Worcester, doyen of British pollsters, puts it: “The politicians are running scared of not being seen to be green enough.” And Ipsos Mori, the firm that he founded, reports that Britons are beginning to match their concern with action – with 80 per cent now recycling, two-thirds buying some organic and fairly traded products, and half buying green goods and taking steps to reduce their energy consumption at home. “Something is happening that is not just another fashionable wave,” says Professor Tom Burke from Imperial College London, one of the country’s shrewdest green commentators.… Renewing Environmentalism 2008-03-02T16:38:07+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/third-generation-environmentalism-a-mini-manifesto/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/third-generation-environmentalism-a-mini-manifesto/#When:09:03:00Z Back in the early days of E3G, we produced a short introductory manifesto to describe who we were and what we were trying to do. Much of the institutional information that document contained has now been superseded as E3G itself has evolved and grown. But our analysis of the reasons why a new approach was required has stood the test of time rather better. Here below is a snapshot of our early thinking from 2004. Third Generation Environmentalism: Only Connect John Ashton, Tom Burke, Nick Mabey The first generation of environmentalism focussed on the conservation of species and habitats. The second generation widened that focus to include pollution and natural resources. Campaigning from outside the established institutions, the environment movement in the 20th Century brilliantly succeeded in building consciousness of the harm human beings are doing to their planet and thus to themselves. It has been less successful in changing the choices and behaviours that cause that harm. Third generation environmentalism builds on this success. The third generation of environmentalists are not outsiders. They are to be found at all levels in bureaucracies, corporations, universities, trades… Renewing Environmentalism 2007-09-09T09:03:00+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/environment-and-business-in-the-21st-century/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/environment-and-business-in-the-21st-century/#When:11:20:00Z On the 9th November 2006, E3G’s Tom Burke gave the annual Barclay Foundation Lecture at Templeton College, Oxford. Speaking on the topic of ‘Environment and Business in the 21st Century: Risks, Rewards and Responses’ Tom laid out his assessment of the challenge facing businesses and governments as they seek to tackle the hard politics of the environment. An edited version of Tom’s speech was featured in the winter 2007 edition of the Templeton College Newsletter. The full text of Tom’s speech follows below, and is also attached in pdf format for download. Environment and Business in the 21st Century: Risks, Rewards and Responses. The Evelyne and Clifford H Barclay Foundation Lecture, Templeton College, Oxford. Address by Mr Tom Burke CBE, 9th November 2006. Let me begin by thanking Michael Earl and Stephen Barclay for the invitation to address you this evening. This was a completely unexpected honour and not one for which I am well prepared by prior experience. John Templeton exhorted us to ‘work at being a humble person’. Following in the footsteps of such distinguished previous lecturers as Eddie George… 21st Century Sustainable Development 2006-11-09T11:20:00+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/sustainable-development-in-context/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/sustainable-development-in-context/#When:07:35:00Z The challenge of Sustainable Development needs to be looked at in its historical context. Attached is a slide that attempts to do just that. The following text serves as an initial introduction - we’ll be returning to this idea in later posts. The Brundtland definition of sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” remains as good today as when it was first drafted. What it means is that we have to deliver better economic opportunities to eight billion or more people without collapsing the ecological foundations of the economy. That is precisely those systems - the oceans, forests, freshwaters and climate - that it will take success at the hard politics of the environment to protect. We forget too easily that these systems provide everything in our economy that is not provided by fossil fuels and non-fossil minerals. Sustainable development is not about balancing anything. It does not mean striking some lowest common denominator equilibrium between environmental, social and economic factors. It is about maintaining the basic environmental conditions without which economic development cannot take place… 21st Century Sustainable Development 2006-08-29T07:35:00+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/the-hard-politics-of-the-environment/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/the-hard-politics-of-the-environment/#When:07:33:01Z We are at a transition from the easy politics of the environment to the hard politics. The easy politics of the environment have a familiar agenda – air and water pollution, hazardous wastes; toxic chemicals, radioactive substances. These were issues with easily identified victims and villains. There was a clear case for action. And, when action was taken, there were more winners than losers - a particularly important factor for politicians. Many win-win solutions were available and the policy tools were at hand to deal with the problems. That agenda has not gone away. And addressing it may not have seemed easy at the time. But compared to the agenda now coming to dominate the environmental debate, it really was easy. The emergent agenda – deforestation, ocean degradation, water scarcity, food insecurity, biodiversity loss and, perhaps above all, climate change – introduce a very different, and more difficult, political challenge. The case for action is not always clearly perceived. And if action is taken, there are more immediate losers than winners – a real switch off for politicians. It is far more difficult to find win-win solutions, the policy tools are far… 21st Century Sustainable Development 2006-08-22T07:33:01+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/green-and-blue-the-conservative-party-and-the-environment/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/green-and-blue-the-conservative-party-and-the-environment/#When:12:36:00Z Since his election as Conservative Party leader, David Cameron has been trying to reposition his party in the centre ground of British politics. One of his strategies has included placing a much greater emphasis on the environment and climate change. He has also cycled (occasionally) to the House of Commons, and replaced the Party’s Torch logo with an image of an Oak tree. BBC Radio 4 recently aired a programme entitled ‘How did I get to be so green and blue’ which looks at the Conservative Party’s changing relationship to the environment. The programme includes a number of contributions from E3G Founding Director Tom Burke, who was an advisor to three successive Environment Ministers under the last Conservative government. Tom discusses the different ideological streams within the Conservative Party and Margaret Thatcher’s ‘conversion’ to environmental awareness in the 1980’s. Tom also analyses the major structural change in British politics – the loss for all parties of a mass membership. He points out that this has implications for all political parties as they go about taking leadership decisions on environmental issues, stating: … Renewing Environmentalism 2006-04-10T12:36:00+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/open-democracy-debate-three-identity-battles/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/open-democracy-debate-three-identity-battles/#When:11:45:00Z Following the publication of Jonathon Porritt’s book ‘Capitalism as if the world matters’ and his associated Open Democracy article“As if the world matters”: reconciling sustainable development and capitalism, E3G Founding Directors John Ashton and Tom Burke contributed articles to the Open Democracy debate in response. John Ashton’s article follows here below. Tom Burke’s article is published here. Three identity battles John Ashton The belated acknowledgement by the environmental movement of the role of markets and private capital in the transition to sustainable development is the least of our worries. The battle over ownership of the means of production ended with the cold war. There is no coherent challenge to the mixed economy, based on freedom of choice regulated by the rule of law, as a means of aligning private interests and the public good. The transition to sustainable development will turn on the outcome not of yesterday’s struggles but today’s. The frontline has moved, from the economy to a bigger question: the… 21st Century Sustainable Development 2005-12-06T11:45:00+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/open-democracy-debate-conserving-capitalists/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/open-democracy-debate-conserving-capitalists/#When:10:27:00Z Following the publication of Jonathon Porritt’s book ‘Capitalism as if the world matters’ and his associated Open Democracy article“As if the world matters”: reconciling sustainable development and capitalism, E3G Founding Directors John Ashton and Tom Burke contributed articles to the Open Democracy debate in response. Tom Burke’s article follows here below. John Ashton’s article is published here. Conserving capitalists Tom Burke Capitalism is the process of liberating capital to pursue opportunity. From about the middle of the 18th century there was a debate about how to make the economy grow. As the industrial revolution gathered pace under the stimulus of the Napoleonic wars and the subsequent prolonged period of peace the answer became clear. If individuals are freed to pursue their own self-interest, the interests of all would be enhanced as the economy grew. As this liberal doctrine gained hold, economies did indeed grow rapidly. But economic growth corrodes social ligatures. The complex, multi-dimensional relationships of relatively stable communities are replaced in the creative… 21st Century Sustainable Development 2005-12-06T10:27:00+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/address-to-green-alliance-25th-anniversary/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/address-to-green-alliance-25th-anniversary/#When:09:50:02Z Tom Burke, formerly Director of Green Alliance from 1982 to 1991, gave an address to the 25th Anniversary celebration of the Green Alliance on 24th February 2005. His address doesn’t just focus on the history of Green Alliance - it also encompasses the wider history of environmentalism and the political challenges ahead. Address to Green Alliance 25th Anniversary Thank you for that very kind introduction. It is a great pleasure to be among so many good friends tonight. Over the past twenty-five years we have all shared hopes and fears, laughter and tears, victories and defeats in the great cause that is our environment. And through it all, the Green Alliance has been a growing force. We are here tonight to celebrate that growth, to renew and reinforce it and to look ahead to future challenges. I am honoured to have been asked to introduce this evening. And, I must admit, a little intimidated. Guy Thompson does not do easy. ‘Just sum up the past twenty-five years and say what’s next – oh, and don’t take more than twenty minutes’. I will do my best. But first I want to pay… Renewing Environmentalism 2005-02-24T09:50:02+00:00 http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/the-environmentalists-case-for-europe/ http://www.e3g.org/index.php/concept/concept-articles/the-environmentalists-case-for-europe/#When:09:20:00Z The May / June 2004 edition of Green Futures magazine featured an opinion piece by John Ashton on the connection between environmentalism and the Future of Europe. The environmentalist’s case for Europe Pundits are predicting record low turnouts in the European elections this June – though only heroic levels of apathy would outdo the 4 percent registered by the citizens of Sunderland in 1999. The new constitution for Europe will when it is finally agreed shape the lives of 450 million people in the enlarged European Union. Yet the Convention on the Future of Europe that crafted it has been more an exercise in “We the elites” than “We the Peoples”. Should environmentalists worry? Here are five good reasons why they cannot achieve their goals without a strong and dynamic EU in touch with the people of Europe. First, all but the most local environmental problems transcend political boundaries. They cannot be addressed without pooling sovereignty – whether in managing a regional watershed or the global atmosphere. Sharing sovereignty is difficult. The EU is the world’s only sustained experiment at doing… Renewing Environmentalism 2004-05-01T09:20:00+00:00