Politics and environment

Some years ago, a group of us were meeting in the Politics of the Environment Discussion Group. Late in the conversation Charles Caccia a former Canadian environment minister, was asked why it was so hard to get politicians to fix many environmental problems. He replied that the first goal of a politician is to get reelected. Fixing some of the big environmental problems, like climate change, would require huge changes in what and how we consume. Many people would rebel against such measures if they were imposed by a government and the politicians who enacted stringent environmental laws might not be elected again.

His comments resonate through the years. Governments in a number of countries brought in surcharges on fuel to discourage consumption and the resulting climate changing air pollution. But the pushback from the public was so strong that many governments dropped the fees.
In a 2001 university lecture on sustainable development Mr. Caccia talked in more detail about the difficulty of getting more government action on sustainability. “Governments tend to plan and decide with the next election in mind and the prospect of being re-elected. It is difficult for governments to make decisions which would be perceived as politically damaging at the next election. Therefore, difficult decisions are often postponed or modified in order not to offend an electorate…” He continued: “The public must bear some of the responsibility for this situation, as voters are well known for their short memories and also for their desire to see immediate results from policy decisions. Yet, sustainable development, by definition, requires medium and long-term planning and as such poses a significant problem for those who want to get reelected.”

At the end of his speech Mr. Caccia said a change to more sustainable forms of development will take greater political will and more public support. “Public pressure can not only help to establish political will, it can also be a valuable tool for committed politicians to use in influencing colleagues.” Building public support for sustainable development requires an informed public and as Mr. Caccia said, this is not easy with such a complex and technical issue. He called for “Better communication of policy issues, greater transparency in the policy process, and the ability for citizens to participate in a meaningful way when important decisions are made…”

Although his comments were made years ago, they are as relevant today as they were then. The rules of politics have not changed.