The sun sets behind Burbo Bank offshore wind farm and an iron figure from Anthony Gormley's Another Place at Crosby, Merseyside. Britain's green transition should belong to everyone, but Labour seems intent on stopping us having our say, argues George Monbiot.
Government's Climate Policy: Coercion Over Persuasion
According to Monbiot, the government's approach to climate policy is authoritarian: 'We will not persuade. We will not explain. We will not listen. We know best and we will force you to comply.' He describes three simultaneous developments that exemplify this trend.
Failure to Communicate
Firstly, the government has failed to communicate the urgency of climate breakdown. Unlike the Covid-19 pandemic, there are no public information videos or televised emergency briefings. The National Emergency Briefing campaign, showing a film in over 1,000 UK venues, highlights this gap. Monbiot argues that public acceptance of action requires government leadership, as seen during wartime or the pandemic.
Curtailing Legal Rights
Secondly, the government proposes to limit public objections to 'critical' energy infrastructure. Development consent orders would become akin to acts of parliament, preventing legal challenges except on human rights grounds. This centralises power and transforms a consent-based planning system into one of decree.
Monbiot criticises the characterisation of objectors as 'blockers' or 'zealots', citing the Vanguard offshore windfarm case. A judicial review delayed the project by two years after a local objector, backed by 85 parish and town councils, argued that cumulative impacts on the landscape were not considered. The judge ruled the government's decision 'cursory', 'flawed', and 'perverse'. Monbiot notes that the developer later shelved a sister project due to high costs, partly because of the lack of an offshore ring main, exactly what objectors had called for.
The government has also briefed against the Aarhus convention, which limits costs for environmental objectors. Without such protections, challenging decisions could be financially ruinous.
Criminalising Protest
Thirdly, while the state curtails objections to its own projects, it harshly penalises those protesting for greater climate ambition. New laws have created a class of political prisoner, with activists jailed for months or years for demanding action on the existential crisis.
Conclusion: A Joint Endeavour Needed
Monbiot concludes that Labour's approach generates anger and resistance, benefiting the fossil fuel industry. He argues that the green transition requires broad public consent, not a holy war against landscape lovers. Climate breakdown demands a joint effort, with the public, not against them, but this government seems unable to grasp that concept.
