Brown's agenda: Environment

ePolitix.com Stakeholders comment on the environmental challenges facing the new Gordon Brown government.

 

Stakeholder Response: CPRE

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Shaun Spiers, chief executive of CPRE, said: "As prime minister, Gordon Brown will have a huge opportunity to affirm our national identity with initiatives on the environment and development. 

"The Campaign to Protect Rural England has lined up an identity parade of six iconic aspects of national life which define and unite us. We are calling on the new prime minister to single them out for promotion."

• Classic countryside
• High quality food production
• Our finest landscapes
• A rich historic heritage
• World renowned cities towns and villages
• Access to local shops

"We know that Gordon Brown is committed to economic success and social justice, but what about other things that make life worth living and bind us together as a nation? 

"Gordon Brown has made interesting observations on the nature of Britishness. These six iconic aspects of our national identity unite us as few other things do, and we hope that his government will uphold them.

"One of prime minister Brown’s first big challenges will be to make sure that planning reforms support, rather than undermine these assets. 

"Will he commit to giving people a meaningful say over what happens to the places they care about? Or will he be remembered as the 'developers' friend' who allowed communities to be divided and ignored? 

"We urge the incoming prime minister to promote the six iconic treasures in our national identity parade: we'll all benefit from that if he does."

 

Stakeholder Response: The Royal Academy of Engineering

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The Royal Academy of Engineering said: "As Gordon Brown takes over as prime minister, we warn that the government’s vision of the UK as a ‘knowledge economy’ could be under threat within 10 years due to a shortage of high quality graduate engineers.

"At a time when engineers are more in demand than ever to solve the twin challenges of energy sufficiency and climate change, the UK’s output of engineers is stagnating while our competitors forge ahead.

"Between 1994 and 2004 entries to UK university engineering courses remained stubbornly static at about 24,500 even though total university admissions went up by 40 per cent in the same period.

"The developing nations are producing record numbers of graduate engineers to fuel their technological and economic development - China and India produce over half a million engineers every year.

"The Academy has surveyed over 400 companies and 88 UK university engineering departments for its recent report 'Educating engineers for the 21st century'. Almost all agreed that industry will need more graduate engineers and that university engineering courses need redesigning for the modern economy.

"To achieve the type of engineering education tomorrow's engineers need, funding per university engineering student needs to increase by at least 50 per cent.

"We also challenges Mr Brown to consult with engineers in dealing with climate change as they are uniquely well placed to give practical and effective advice.

"Providing society with sufficient energy to meet ever-growing demand in a world of finite resources is the ultimate challenge for engineers.

"Huge ingenuity will be required to develop realistic and cost-effective alternatives to fossil fuels within a short enough time frame to address climate change on a world-wide scale.

"We need 'more traction and less spin' from Mr Brown’s government if we are to meet the enormous engineering challenges inherent in dealing with climate change.

"The Academy has significant concerns that targets are being mooted and models run on the basis of aspiration rather than practicality.

"It is imperative that serious initiatives to tackle the climate change and energy agenda do not fail at the first hurdle.

"Although some reductions in emissions have been observed in some regions, the scale is not large enough to make a difference."

 

Stakeholder Response: The Woodland Trust

To send a comment to The Woodland Trust, click here

Lee Bruce of the Woodland Trust said: "Gordon Brown promises to lead a government driven by the powers of social conscience, moral sensitivity, and civic duty.

"From our viewpoint we hope that this will lead to the environment being a central theme of his prime-ministership.

"We welcome the wish to maintain a position of world leadership in tackling climate change and believe that an emphasis on a shared Britishness should mean an emphasis on protecting and enhancing our natural environment which is such an important national asset.

"A besetting problem of the Blair era was the failure to practice joined up government, one example being the promotion of unfettered airport expansion – something that the Department of Transport has appeared determined upon.

"The expansion of aviation infrastructure sits in stark contrast with the stated wish to be a world leader on climate change, and will have a negative impact on our ability to reduce carbon emissions. 

"The theoretical assumptions underpinning the Barker report and Planning white paper will need amending if the planning system is to help mitigate against climate change and deliver sustainable development. 

"This does not meant that there should be no development but a fully rounded approach will seek to integrate environmental and social concerns, as well as economic ones. 

"In the coming year a more ambitious Climate Change Bill and a CSR settlement which recognises the environmental challenges we face will be key indicators of whether the new Prime Minister is serious about protecting our natural heritage.

"We look forward to working alongside Gordon Brown in tackling the challenge  of climate change and harnessing  the important role of trees, woodlands, and natural habitats in adaptation and mitigation strategies."