Some Notes from Barry Gardiner MP’s presentation: "Policy Coherence and Perverse Subsidy or –How to think like a normal sensible human being rather than like a politician!"
These rough notes on the presentation and subsequent discussion were taken during the meeting, and have not captured every point in a thorough and complex lecture.
The Guardians of the Public Purse may only understand when the last flower has disappeared and the last bee died etc, that wealth is built on nature.
Nature provides a HUGE amount that we don’t pay for or count. It needs to be properly valued and not used up faster that it can replenish itself.
Many Government subsidies over the years (sometimes well-meant at the time), in many sectors, have made things worse. This includes subsidies for excavating fossil fuels.
Many lies have been told about the costs and benefits of bio-fuel use. It causes a great deal of destruction for the amount of power it provides.
Oil companies have been taxed at a relatively low rate. This is what has made it economically worthwhile for oil and gas extraction to continue. The profits have gone to private share holders.
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GDP (Gross Domestic product) is a very poor measure of how well a country is doing as it takes no account of the depletion of nature.
To create justice we need to live sustainably.
We asked:
Q Could this powerful presentation be more widely seen? (Barry has already presented it at a COP meeting in Colombia) Perhaps put it out on You-Tube with his voice-over?
A He said he would think about that.
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Q What should groups like ours be doing?
A Focus on the way in which politicians are getting in wrong in policy terms. Much is incoherent. Ask them how they can reconcile this action/ belief/ statement with that action/ belief/ statement. Write to the Chancellor querying her fixation with GDP? Good work is going on in the Treasury in relation to Climate Change and Nature by many officials but not being taken enough notice of by politicians. The economy is a subset of the natural wold and not the other way round.
Q Are the new biodiversity net-gain requirements likely to be abused?
A Yes. There are problems and difficulties with the new Planning and Infrastructure Bill. It will be good if properly regulated and controlled. But only one third of councils have an ecology officer. Some house builders are good. Others not. The issues around embodied carbon have not been sufficiently looked at.
AND he said
Some progress is being made.
Barry would like our Govt to join the “Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance“ https://beyondoilandgasalliance.org/
On the potential renewal of the Rosebank Oil drilling license – the Minister cant (for legal reasons) say much just now but Barry very much hopes the Govt will not agreed to its renewal. But it will be politically very challenging.
Q Would a small increase in ethanol to fuel in cars be a good idea?
A No. It is never a good idea to use land to grow fuel for cars, industry etc. We need it for food and for nature.
Q Will you write to Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Ed Miliband re a bolder fairer Climate Change Act as promoted by FoE?
A No, because it will make no difference and would just be virtue-signalling, but I do campaign for improvements in Parliament (He is chair of the Environmental Audit Committee).
He was happy for us to take a photo of him with placard supporting a better bill and another saying “No” to Rosebank to put on our website and social media.
He is willing to sign the pledges re Rosebank etc but doesn’t imagine it will do much good.
We should notice how far we have come in combatting Climate Change as well as how far we have to go.
Comment from participant: I expected more from Labour…
Response from Barry: There is some hope. There IS progress being made. New green jobs ARE being created. The UK is, comparatively, doing quite well.