Tackling climate change is at the core of this Labour government’s plan for the country. The new administration is clearly comfortable advocating for ambitious climate policies, announcing the Clean Energy Mission and Great British Energy almost immediately after winning the election.
Most Labour MPs, staffers and activists also intuitively understand that addressing climate change goes hand-in-hand with creating jobs, reviving industrial heartlands and working in collaboration with trade unions. These are bread-and-butter issues for a party that is rooted in the labour movement and the interests of working people.
By contrast, nature policy may seem more distant from the core values which drive the party. This need not be the case. The environmental crisis of nature’s decline is inextricably linked to the climate crisis of a warming planet. Labour should be just as confident in owning and taking action on environmental policy as they are on climate.
The party shouldn’t forget its history of championing the natural world
Labour’s leadership recognises the importance of environmental policy. Labour’s manifesto committed to meeting vital nature restoration targets, and environment secretary Steve Reed is a vocal advocate for nature. But beyond this growing confidence in government, some members of the wider party can struggle to see the relevance of the natural environment to its core values.
Labour can be assured that those who default to considering the environment as more of a ‘rural concern’, with less relevance for voters in Labour strongholds in metropolitan cities and regional towns, are misguided. In reality, Labour has a long and proud history of protecting and restoring nature.
The Attlee government created national parks in response to campaigns by working people; Harold Wilson’s first government introduced a swathe of new country parks; and at the start of this century Labour governments in Westminster and Holyrood improved rights for ordinary people to access the countryside.
Nature is a key area of policy for the new government
Any suggestion that nature is a peripheral concern for Labour also ignores the reality that it’s now politically vital for the party to develop a strong offer on environmental policy. There are two key reasons for this.
Firstly, after their landslide victory, Labour is a stronger political force in many rural seats. This means the party must develop a clear offer for rural voters ahead of the next election, including around how nature recovery policies will affect farmers and the agricultural sector.
READ MORE: ‘The five parts of Labour’s electoral coalition – and why they’re all fragile’
Secondly, restoring nature and improving access to green spaces benefits people in towns and cities as well as the countryside.
Nature policy can be designed in a way which drives progressive change around the country.
Restoring nature can drive wider progressive change
Policies to improve nature can protect people from food insecurity, tackle inequalities and deliver economic and social benefits to places all around the UK.
The biodiversity and climate crises negatively impact our ability to grow food. Degrading the natural environment therefore undermines the security of UK citizens.
Prices go up when food is in short supply and these price hikes disproportionately impact poorer people. Restoring nature now will strengthen the UK’s food security in the long run, shielding the public from these pressures.
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Nature restoration can also reduce inequalities. Access to nature is unequal: people in the most deprived areas have worse access to green space, and ordinary people are unable to access most of the countryside. This is clearly unfair, since access to green space is associated with lower mortality rates, better mental wellbeing and stronger community cohesion.
Revitalising nature also has economic and social benefits. Investing in nature restoration projects creates jobs and boosts local economies all around the country.
Delivering a decade of ‘natural’ renewal
By restoring nature in a way which benefits ordinary people, Labour can connect environmental policy to its promise of a decade of national renewal. IPPR’s new report out today outlines a blueprint for ensuring that ‘natural’ renewal is a core aim for the new government.
By reforming the planning system and introducing a new right to responsibly access the English countryside, Labour can improve access to nature for people who are deprived of it.
Through new targets and sanctions on polluters, the party can ensure that those who are responsible for pollution, or have the power to restore nature, take action.
And by incentivising public and community ownership of land, Labour can ensure that the public are given a stake in nature’s recovery.
Labour has a proud history of protecting and restoring nature. Now they are back in power, the party must once again make the case that restoring the natural environment is an inherently progressive cause.
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