The coming months are set to be a time of reflection for conservatives. A time to evaluate what it means to be a modern conservative in a post-pandemic world.
This must start with both looking back to our conservative roots whilst considering the challenges our nation faces. And one common theme keeps reappearing: environmentalism.
Environmentalism is deeply interwoven into conservative philosophical history. “Environmentalists, if they are honest with themselves, ought in the end to be conservatives,” wrote Roger Scruton. This builds on a 200-year philosophical tradition that dates all the way back to Edmund Burke, who stated each generation's shared responsibility to the earth.
Indeed, what is more conservative than passing on our green and pleasant land to our children and grandchildren? As Burke eloquently conveys, society “is a partnership… between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.” We are conservatives because we inherit, protect and enhance, and then pass on a better world for future generations. If you believe in intergenerational responsibility, as all conservatives should, then you are inherently an environmentalist.
When we look back on conservatives’ history for inspiration and guidance, we find conservative figureheads who have put these values into practice. Margaret Thatcher warned about the dangers of climate change at the UN in 1989, and Benjamin Disraeli passed the River Pollution Act in 1876.
Arguably, the last 14 years of government have been the greenest in UK history, and of course, conservatives have led the way. David Cameron oversaw a record reduction in carbon emissions and signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, Theresa May passed the historic net zero target into law in 2019, and Boris Johnson delivered the world-leading Environment Act in 2021. These are not coincidences. Conservatives - no matter their political leanings - are instinctively environmentalists, committed to building a better world for the next generation.
But, what we do today will either exchacibate or ease the other challenges our country faces. According to YouGov, voters' three biggest concerns for this general election are the cost of living (and the economy more broadly), healthcare and immigration. While the environment is not the only cause, climate change and biodiversity loss exacerbate all these issues, as well as consistently being in voters' top five concerns throughout the whole of the last parliament. By embracing our environmental roots, conservatives can provide pragmatic solutions to voters’ concerns.
We know that the war in Ukraine has pushed up energy bills. Investing more in renewables and energy efficiency measures can help cut bills, secure our energy supply, and reduce waste.
Environmental action can also help grow our economy and spread prosperity across the UK. Deploying clean technologies, such as solar, wind power, electric vehicles, and carbon capture can create new, well-paying, sustainable jobs that are fit for the future, growing our economy in the process.
We know that less pollution will reduce the strain on our overburdened healthcare services. Exposure to air pollution, for example, can lead to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. It is also proven that access to nature can help with mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
We also know that climate change and extreme weather put a strain on natural resources like food and water, making the world more unstable and exacerbating global migration.
Conservative environmentalism offers the positive, market-led solutions we need to help tackle these challenges. And CEN’s 10-point plan for the environment should be the blueprint.
As 21st century conservatives we should embrace these environmental impulses. Both modern and traditional conservatism are very clearly green. It would be fundamentally unconservative to abandon our environmental instincts and row back on the proud commitments we made to net zero and nature recovery.
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