Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Wildlife Fund).
Development organisations
such as Oxfam, Christian Aid and
Tearfund. Their prime concern is that climate change will hit the poorest
developing countries hardest.
Landscape-preservation organizations
such as the National Trust
and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (and their Scottish and
Welsh counterparts). Climate change poses clear risks, such as flooding
and coastal erosion, to the UK countryside.
These groups complement each other in membership, finance and tactics.
The RSPB brings a one-million-strong membership (more than any other
NGO or indeed any UK political party) to the cause, although it has to
be said that most of its members joined to visit their local bird sanctuary
rather than to campaign on climate change. The inclusion of the overseas-
development organizations often taps into a religious constituency, in the
case of Christian Aid and Tearfund (founded by evangelical Christians).
The development organizations also have bigger budgets, although, as far
as climate change goes, these are focussed more on helping the world's
poor adapt to climate change than on campaigning to prevent it.
A coalition of NGOs brings a range of tactics to the fight - and that
can be useful. For there is a “good cop, bad cop” synergy between quin-
tessentially “outside” organizations such as Greenpeace, which specialize
in direct action and shock or surprise tactics, and environmental groups
which function on the “inside” of political establishments. One example of
the latter in the UK is the Green Alliance. It is an environmental think-tank
which works very closely with UK politicians and civil servants in trying
to turn green proposals, often originating with other green NGOs, into
policy and law. But its director, Stephen Hale, is clear that Green Alliance
owes much of its success in Westminster and Whitehall to pressure from
outside groups. “Inside-track organisations like ours will ultimately only
succeed if there is pressure for action building from the outside”, he says.
Nevertheless, there are certain energy sources that are harder for envi-
ronmental groups to reach a consensus on.
Wind
The “landscape lobby” - particularly the National Trust and the Campaign
to Protect Rural England - remain strongly opposed to most onshore
wind farms. Because of the large amount of land it owns or controls
