Campaigning on the environment

 

The centre-right has a long tradition of ambitious action on the environment. Conservatives have established the foundations of the UK’s response to the most acute environmental threats — including passing the first Clean Air Act and creating the first Department of the Environment. It was Margaret Thatcher who, as Prime Minister, gave the seminal speech to the United Nations (UN) about the threat of climate change, and John Major who signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. 

 

As the consequences of our changing climate and nature loss became more apparent, conservatives campaigned for and delivered several ambitious environmental policies between 2010 and 2024. Landmark pieces of legislation including the Environment Act, signing net zero into law — making the UK the first major economy to do so — and creating the Blue Belt of marine protected areas in our overseas territories are amongst the most significant. 

 

Throughout our movement's history, conservatives have made the environment a priority, because many centre-right values, such as stewardship, intergenerational responsibility, pride of place, and pursuit of prosperity and opportunity, align naturally with the case for conservation.

 

This toolkit is your guide to environmental leadership as a councillor. It discusses the unique conservative case for protecting the environment, a series of policy ideas, and the numerous co-benefits, including lowering the cost of living, from ambitious action.

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