UK Conservatives Support of Progressive Environmental Policies

Frequent commenter MarcoPolo writes:  The results of the (yesterday’s) UK general election are evidence of what can be achieved by “conservative, responsible environmentalists.”  The voters’ rejection of Green-left politicians, in contrast to the popularity of environmentalists like the conservative Mayor of London, and newly elected Tory MP Boris Johnson, shows the public’s willingness to accept rational environmental policies.

All this is true, but we’re using the word “conservative” in two vastly different senses.  In the last five years, the Tories (conservatives) in the UK:

• Boosted the component of renewable energy in their grid-mix to 19%, one of the highest of any country on the planet

• Were driven by Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledge to create the “greenest government ever”

• Hired renewable energy expert David McKay, author of the super-popular “Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air.”

The victorious Conservative’s party platform also highlighted:

• Environmental clean-up

• Animal rights protection

• “Smart” infrastructure upgrades

• Marine habitat protection

As you’re Australian, this might not be clear to you, but all this is akin to the stance of a liberal Democrat in the US–probably too liberal to be electable at a national level.  Our “conservatives” run on policies like “drill baby drill,” and eliminating our Environmental Protection Agency.  That’s quite a difference.