Globalisation:Green Alliance: Lobbying activities and influence on policy

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Green Alliance presents itself as one of the most powerful environment groups in the UK. Indeed, it has won the title of “Think Tank of the Year” in the Public Affairs Awards 2009 [1]. This award is based on how much GA influenced policy and what impact it had on public affairs in 2009. Some of their achievements are listed below. Their lobbying activities have strong links with the globalisation process because they use the new means of pressure that are currently used around the world. However, Green Alliance is not very active at an international level as their main targets focus on the British policy.


Coordinating the recruitment for the ministerial and third sector task force in April 2009 [2]

A new task force was created in spring 2009, for nine months, in order to analyse what opportunities tackling climate change can offer. Ministerial and third sector actors gathered for the debate. In their view, the third sector "shapes the future by mobilising and inspiring others to tackle climate change and maximising the social, economic and environmental opportunities of action." [3]. The report was released during an event, chaired by Stephen Hale then GA's director, in March 2010. At the end, they edited a report, Shaping our Future [4] , where they bring out the positive role of the third sector in a sustainable economy: they provide green public services, advise and support citizens to choose environmental friendly products and create green jobs. GA's principal role here was to recruit new members for this task force and together with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations they were in charge with the secretariat.


Promoting Carbon Caption and Storage (CCS)

Green Alliance has been lobbying for a long time on the carbon caption and storage issues. Its biggest achievement was the creation, by the Labour government in March 2010, of the Office of Carbon Caption and Storage (OCCS) [5] within the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). As Chris Littlecott explains [6] “Green Alliance has argued strongly during the past year that, despite its flaws, the CCS competition should be maintained as the fastest way to getting an early demonstration project underway in the UK. “ . Conservative politicians agreed to include this in the coalition agreement. However, they still have to protect this from the Treasury's pressures. The aim of OCCS is to make UK the first destination for investors in CCS technology and according to GA, if it fails under Treasury's pressures, its credibility abroad will collapse and the target will not be attained.

Influencing EU budget

The NGO has been very active at the European level too [7] For instance, Stephen Hale, the former director of GA, made a speech at the European conference “Reforming the Budget, Changing Europe” in 2008. He recommends that: “The European Union should: Auction 90 per cent of emissions trading permits in phase three of the EU emissions trading scheme, from 2013 onwards; Use this revenue to drive European de-carbonisation, and to support mitigation and adaptation internationally from 2013 onwards; and Establish an EU energy and climate change fund that draws income from both auctioning and the current EU budget. “ [8] A video of Stephen Hale's discourse is available at the following link: http://webcast.ec.europa.eu/eutv/portal//_vi_wm_300_fr/player/index_player.html?id=5661&pId=5648


A year later, along with other quangos and associations, GA wrote an open letter to José Manuel Barroso where they support EU's budget reform and ask for a stronger focus on climate change issues : “ We thus urge the Commission to act on the basis of the results of the public consultation and to push strongly for a substantive reform of the EU budget “ [9].

Then, in June 2010, it created the Coalition for Sustainable EU Funds along with nine other quangos (Friends of the Earth, Bankwatch Network, Bird Life International, Green Budget Europe, Transport and Environment, INFORSE Europe, Energy Cities, CECODHAS Housing Europe and E3G ). Under this coalition, they wrote a letter to José Manuel Barroso. They demand the review of the EU budget as soon as possible – climate change issue becoming extremely urgent it cannot wait for another delay: “The EU cannot afford to enter the 2020s with a budget designed for the problems of 50 years ago.” [10]. The coalition calls also for “a clear and transparent EU budget reform process that builds on the outcomes of the previous consultation” [11].


Encouraging private sector to diminish waste [12]

In 2006, Green Alliance in cooperation with the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), released a report called A Zero Waste UK [13] . Inside, they called for new taxes on products that use too much packaging and a reduction of the waste in UK, which reaches 300 million tonnes per year and gave hints about how to do it. A lot of private sector firms engaged to do so. For example, ASDA engaged to reduce landfill waste to zero until 2010 [14]. Indeed, ASDA made real efforts to diminish waste, along with other supermarkets: between 2005 and 2009, they reduced waste by 1.2 million tonnes [15].

Creation of the Green Standard

Since 2007, Green Alliance and seven other quangos (CPRE, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust and WWF ) meet together to launch debates on new environmental issues at a higher standard than before and to assess British parties during their campaign and political actions. For instance, during the 2010 general elections, the Green Standard examined each party's manifesto about environment and asked the “Climate Question” [16]. Moreover, in September 2009, they released a report called “Common Cause: the Green Standard manifesto on climate change and the natural environment” [17] , in which they demand the future Parliament to act immediately on environment issues – a topic discussed also in Last Parliament report.

Calling for a strategy on sustainable heat

In 2007, around thirty NGO's and associations gathered in a coalition asked for a better policy on sustainable heat. The then-director of GA – Stephen Hale, pronounced a speech at the Parliament - A Manifesto for Sustainable Heat – in which he stated: “Despite the government's aspirations for a low carbon economy, the heating market is dominated by gas and oil. This is an unsustainable contradiction. A new coalition of businesses and environmental groups has been established to push for government action to tackle heat. We must use establish efficient, renewable, and low-carbon supplies. The forthcoming Energy White Paper must commit to achieving this. “ [18]. Then, in April 2008, GA held a conference where it presented solutions for a good management of sustainable heat and gave real examples of technology in this sector.

The first White Paper on Environment

The think tank is very proud to be at the origins of the first environmental White Paper in the UK.

Notes

  1. ↑ “Think Tank of the Year ”, Accessed 07.11.10
  2. ↑ “Task Force 2009”, Accessed 07.11.10
  3. ↑ “[1] , Accessed 07.11.10
  4. ↑ “Shaping our Future”, Accessed 07.11.10
  5. ↑ “OCCS”, Accessed 07.11.10
  6. ↑ “CCS Article" , Accessed 07.11.10
  7. ↑ “EU report”, Accessed 07.11.10
  8. ↑ "Stephen Hale's discourse ”, Accessed 07.11.10
  9. ↑ “Open letter 2009 ”, Accessed 07.11.10
  10. ↑ “Letter to J.M.Barroso” , Accessed 07.11.10
  11. ↑ “Ibid” , Accessed 07.11.10
  12. ↑ “Reducing Waste ”, Accessed 07.11.10
  13. ↑ “A Zero Waste UK report ”, Accessed 07.11.10
  14. ↑ “Press release on pollution tax ”, Accessed 07.11.10
  15. ↑ “Waste cuts ”, Accessed 07.11.10
  16. ↑ “The Climate Question , Accessed 07.11.10
  17. ↑ “Common Cause report ”, Accessed 07.11.10
  18. ↑ “A Manifesto for Sustainable Heat ”, Accessed 07.11.10
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