Be careful for what you wish for, it might come true, seems to be the moral of Fred Pearce's report in New Scientist about the Green reaction to the proposed Severn Barrage. Some - Sustainable Developers - think the barrage is a good idea as it could get rid of the need for eight coal-fired power stations, but most - Preservationists - are violently opposed to it because of the potential impact on wildlife.
As for me: I'm a Sustainable Developer. As keen as I am on proper environmental stewardship of the planet, I recognise the need for compromise. Hardcore Greens no doubt use the Internet extensively and heat and light their homes with the same electricity as the rest of us. As I pointed out in an earlier posting, if we want to encourage people to get out of their cars then we'd better start encouraging them to work from home, with all the extra energy costs that it will entail.
To a large extent, Greens have been victims of their own success. Previously they were able to adopt an absolutist position, but now that wider society is beginning to take heed of them and act upon their concerns, they are starting to face the kind of dilemmas that the rest of us have been grappling with for decades. Everything comes at a price, and simply denying that there is an issue around the need for cost effective electricity reminds me, anyway, of Marie Antoinette more than anyone else. But the 'let them eat Energy Efficiency' attitude simply won't cut it anymore. Why should everybody but them be expected to adjust their positions?
Or is it simply that if Greens admit they're happy for once, then they're out of a job?
Dive the Marianas Trench
2 days ago
I am also a sustainable developer. As a member of the Green Party of Ireland I also look forward to the time when the Green Party has no further need to persist. The voters should (and may, people do sometimes act sensibly when the issue is clear) force all parties to go green.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be lucky: I think the major political parties will always need to have somebody ringing an alarm bell to remind them of the environmental consequences of their actions. if they can stop arguing about the Anglo Irish Treaty for a while, that is ;-)
ReplyDeleteNo argument there, thank God as they say
ReplyDelete