Those that prioritise preservation over progress have weaponised ecology to block development. They are sadly far from marginalised. For example a significant portion of NIMBYs abuse environmental law to block development from occurring near to them. You only have to look at the ban on on-shore wind for an example of this. People were worried about visual amenity, not ecology. That didn’t stop them using ecology as part of their argument to get them banned.
Out of interest did you join the party with the wave of others in order to vote for Jeremy Corbyn or were you a member of the party for years before this?
“Tree Huggers” to me is a short hand for Group 1 but that is subjective and either of us could be right.
I think it is a big claim to say Starmer doesn’t believe in the climate catastrophe, we should probably have a bit more evidence before making such a claim.
In your opinion, which you are entitled to hold.
In my opinion it does go some way towards explaining it. I feel Starmer falls into Group 2 here and the outburst was directed towards members of Group 1.
I’ve felt very much the same way myself and found myself saying things like “fuck newt lovers” when what I actually should be doing is explaining the above and advocating for members of Group 1 to join Group 2.
I find myself largely in agreement with him.
It seems you can now categorise environmentalists into two distinct groups:
Group 1 prioritizes preservation over progress, insisting on halting all developmental projects to protect every speck of biodiversity. This includes everything from rare newt species to broader environmental concerns, which are used as reasons to oppose various forms of green energy initiatives such as battery factories, solar installations, wind and tidal turbines. The ironic consequence of this approach is that despite protecting individual species in the short term, long-term survival becomes more precarious as global warming accelerates unchecked.
Group 2, which I personally identify with, holds a more pragmatic view. This group acknowledges the inevitable environmental impact of green technologies, such as harm to individual species and certain ecosystem disturbances. Yet, they firmly believe that without expediting the implementation of green technology, we risk compromising the planet’s overall sustainability.
While I understand and appreciate the intent behind the preservationist approach, I feel frustrated. In my view, their well-meaning actions might inadvertently exacerbate the very environmental crises we’re striving to mitigate.
A quick “morning” and a quick “cheers” at the end of the day isn’t required in London but I’ve always done it and found it has been reasonably well received.
You can say “Hey Siri, 15 minutes please”