Putting the Environment on the Political Agenda

At the end of September, St John's Church launched a campaign to ask candidates for the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2016 to make an environmental issue one of their headline manifesto pledges.

Too often, environmental issues are buried on p.20 of a manifesto, or shelved under a consensus that 'we all agree mitigating climate change and reversing biodiversity decline are important'. A consensus on aims does not preclude passionate debate between parties on methods: on nuclear and renewables, biodiversity and food security, affordable energy and energy efficiency, rewilding and plantation forestry, marine protection and fisheries, active travel, air passenger duty, land-use strategy.

The result is a conspiracy of silence: voters do not see the environment mentioned on politicians'  leaflets amongst welfare, security, health or education; therefore they do not think to name the environment when asked for their top political issues; therefore politicians do not hear that it is important to voters; and the media, taking their agenda from both, do not raise it as a topic of debate.

Yet 88% of the public believe that biodiversity is indispensable for the production of food, fuel and medicines, and 94% believe we have a moral obligation to halt biodiversity loss.* The environment should be a vote-winner, and a way to engage people disenchanted with politics.

The aim of Environment Agenda is simple: to break that conspiracy of silence, by enabling voters, early in the election process, to ask Holyrood candidates to put environmental issues amongst their manifesto headlines.

Since its launch, members of churches in Edinburgh have written over 100 postcards to their local candidates, and Eleanor Harris, co-ordinator of the campaign, has been delivering them. 'Candidates have been delighted to receive postcards,' she writes. 'It gives them a mandate to speak out about issues they already believe is important. St John's is a politically active church with members representing the whole political spectrum, and all have been keen to get their parties involved in the campaign. The church was a good platform to launch Environment Agenda, but I hope it will be taken up much more widely by community and environmental groups.'

Eleanor Harris (left) delivering Environment Agenda postcards to Alison Dickie, SNP candidate for Edinburgh Central.

Sarah Boyack MSP, candidate for Edinburgh Central and Labour spokesperson on the environment, encouraged church members and others to take part in the campaign: "people underestimate the impact of writing to their political representatives. With the upcoming Paris Talks in December Eco-Congregations can really have an impact when they mobilise their members".

The campaign is still in its early days: many constituencies do not yet have selected candidates. If your church, community group or environmental organisation would like to take part, please get in touch with Eleanor at eleanormharris@gmail.com.

Delivering Environment Agenda postcards to Edinburgh Labour candidates: Kezia Dugdale (Eastern), Sarah Boyack (Central), Daniel Johnson (Southern), Cat Headley (Western), Lesley Hinds (Northern and Leith) and Blair Heary (Pentlands).

* Response for Nature, an important policy document launched in October 2015 by wildlife organisations, which you can download here.