Harrison Jowett- Western Politics and the Environment -Sustainable Industry- what's really going on?

Western politics and the environment

The ‘great lockdown’ is having an unparalleled impact on the economy, it has caused a ‘sudden stop’ and forced governments to bail-out employees at an unprecedented rate (i). However, in a way that no crisis has done before, it has presented every industry with an opportunity for growth. As operations stall, there is scope to review processes and adopt more sustainable and efficient practice in order to succeed in the ‘new normal’ that will arise after the pandemic. So, what is actually happening in the public and private sector, and how is the legal sector keeping pace?

To answer this I will ( in this first instalment of 'Sustainable Industry- what's really going on?), examine the progressive approach of Europe, and how it can be directly compared with the political inconsistency further west.

Championing the environmental agenda is not at the forefront of governance. Understandably, the current global priority is on recovery from Covid-19, but this has likely had a lasting impact on the development of renewables, with some figures suggesting that energy investment has fallen by 20% (ii). There are some examples of exemplary behaviour which could be considered when devising recovery plan.

Denmark, for example, are building two energy islands in the North Sea, with the capacity to power 4 million Danish homes; alongside investing heavily in hydrogen production to bring down the cost of alternative fuels (iii). London is also turning more sustainable, following Paris’ example, and embracing cycling in the city and converting roads for the  purpose of encouraging more activity in the population whilst reducing emissions (iv). There is also some interesting work happening with the Nordic Co-operation so I would recommend reading their plans for a post-Covid environment. (v.)

This is clearly comparable to the behaviour seen further west. President Trump, and other ‘Trumpite’ leaders are opting to focus on regressive forms of economic recovery and, in some special cases, ignoring the threat of the virus all together – an attitude that has been labelled disrespectful at best (vi) Even before the virus, the political approach of these leaders is best demonstrated by Bolsonaro’s destruction of the Amazon rainforest, to increase industrial capacity,vii and the US’ trade war with China – fundamentally underpinned by economic competition.viii This has continued to the present day with little or no environmental protections being considered. The lack of news in this area for such a large economy as America is shocking when considering the colossal shift in almost every consumer market for sustainable options.

It is clear that the attitude to sustainability varies with politics. We see radical populist governments ploughing through the environment as if it is not considered within the public interest that they represent. This can be contrasted with the swift uptake of sustainable initiatives within the European bloc. This would be distressing if there were no business indications that sustainability has become a priority in ways that it has never before. Catch up on how they are doing this in my next instalment.