Green conservatism

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Green politics
Perspectives

Green conservatism is a combination of conservatism with environmentalism. Environmental concern has been voiced by both conservative politicians and philosophers throughout the history of modern conservatism with Edmund Burke (the philosophical founder of modern conservatism) in his Reflections on the Revolution in France quoted as saying 'the earth, the kind and equal mother of all ought not to be monopolised to foster the pride and luxury of any men'.[1]

Variants

Americas

Brazil

The Sustainability Network party was founded by Marina Silva, a prominent conservative environmentalist who was previously a member of various political parties including the Brazilian Green Party.[2]

The National Ecologic Party also had ties to the Assemblies of God, the largest evangelical denomination present in Brazil, and upheld green conservatism but it has now changed its name to Patriota and renounced its green and pro-ecologist policies in favor of its conservative and nationalist policies; it has maintained and strengthened its religious opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage and other left-wing policies.[3][4].

Canada

In Canada, the term 'green conservatism' was popularized in 2006 by Preston Manning, former federal opposition leader and founder of the Reform Party of Canada.[5] Specifically Manning has argued that Western Canadian Conservatism with its strong rural roots and populist rhetoric will eventually have to reconcile the need for economic growth with protection of the environment. He has specifically talked about using water pricing in the Athabasca Oil Sands to prevent a "tragedy of the commons" scenario.

Mexico

The Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVE), founded in 1993, won 47 seats in the 2015 Mexican legislative election.

In 2008, the PVEM initiated an advertising campaign in favor of reintroducing the death penalty in Mexico.[6] This led to the European Green Party's withdrawal of recognition of the PVEM as a legitimate green party.[7]

During an interview, PVE candidate Gamaliel Ramirez verbally attacked an openly gay candidate for Guadalajara mayor and called for criminal laws against homosexuality to be established. In the following days, Ramirez issued a written apology after the party expressed disappointment at his remarks.[8]

United States

One of the first uses of the term green conservatism was by former United States Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, in a debate on environmental issues with John Kerry.[9][10] Around this time, the green conservative movement was sometimes referred to as the crunchy con movement, a term popularized by National Review magazine and the writings of Rod Dreher.[11]

In the United States, the Republican Party is generally considered as the conservative party. Green conservatism manifested itself as a movement in groups such as ConservAmerica, which seeks to strengthen the Republican Party's stance on environmental issues and support efforts to conserve natural resources and protect human and environmental health.[12]

The Independent Greens of Virginia (or Indy Greens) call themselves "common sense conservatives". The party, over the last decade, has run many conservative greens for local, state, and federal office. In 2004, the party gave its ballot line to Constitution Party nominee Michael Peroutka for president, and in 2008, once again placed the Constitution Party nominee Chuck Baldwin on the ballot as its presidential candidate. The Indy Greens call for balancing the federal budget and paying off the federal debt.[13]

The Republican Party had long supported the protection of the environment at the first half of 20th Century. Republican President Theodore Roosevelt was a prominent conservationist whose policies eventually led to the creation of the modern National Park Service.[14] Republican President Richard Nixon was responsible for establishing the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970.[15]

More recently, California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the support of 16 other states, sued the federal government and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the right to set vehicle emission standards higher than the federal standard,[16] a right to which California is entitled under the Clean Air Act.

Democratic President Bill Clinton did not send the Kyoto Protocol to the U.S. Senate for ratification, as he thought it unfair to the United States.[17] President George W. Bush also publicly opposed ratification of the Kyoto Protocols on the grounds that they unfairly targeted Western industrialized nations such as the United States while favoring developing Global South polluters such as China and India.

In 2000, the Republican Party adopted as part of its platform support for the development of market-based solutions to environmental problems. According to the platform, "economic prosperity and environmental protection must advance together, environmental regulations should be based on science, the government’s role should be to provide market-based incentives to develop the technologies to meet environmental standards, we should ensure that environmental policy meets the needs of localities, and environmental policy should focus on achieving results processes."[18]

The George W. Bush administration,[19] along with several of the candidates that sought the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008,[20][21][22] supported increased Federal investment into the development of clean alternative fuels, increased nuclear power, as well as fuels such as ethanol, as a way of helping the U.S. achieve energy independence, as opposed to supporting less use of carbon dioxide-producing methods of generating energy. John McCain, who ran unsuccessfully for President in 2008, supported the cap-and-trade policy, a policy that is quite popular among Democrats but much less so among other Republicans.[23]

Asia

Japan

In Japan, the Environmental Green Political Assembly, or Midori no Kaigi, emerged from the conservative reformist Sakigake Party. It combined a conservative ideology with an ecologist platform, forcing out a number of non-ecologist members to join the Democratic Party's Ryoun-kai faction. It showed poor performance at the polls, and was dissolved in 2004, merged into the conservative Liberal Democratic Party.

Europe

Austria

The Austrian environmental movement (USB) was founded in 1973, out of this, the Electoral community for citizens' initiatives and environmental protection (WBU) has emerged. The WBU was thereby a grouping with bourgeois, liberal and conservative sides, which also did not shy away from the right-wing extremist spectrum.[24]

The United Greens of Austria (VGÖ) was founded in 1982, this represented the bourgeois wing of the movement.[25] By former members VGÖ later the Civil Green Austria (BGÖ) was founded.

The Free Party Salzburg (FPS) claims to be the only party that advocates that no genetically modified seed funds may be spread and has advocated against genetic engineering. It calls for a ban on glyphosate and it " deals with the green issues in Salzburg".[26]

Denmark

In Denmark, the Conservative People's Party advocates conservative policies, while being a part of the green bloc of Folketinget. They opposed the Danish 2016 Agriculture Reform due to enivornmental concerns.

France

Génération Écologie is an ecologically focused political party in France. It has been nicknamed 'The Blues' due to its association with a number of conservative political groups.

Antoine Waechter, a former presidential candidate of Les Verts, founded Mouvement Ecologiste Indépendant after Les Verts adopted left-wing positions. Mouvement Ecologiste Indépendant adheres to centrist politics and so it may include some members who lean towards Green-conservatism.

Germany

The governing Greens in the state of Baden-Württemberg under Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann have been described as more conservative than their federal counterparts.[27] Indeed, Kretschmann identifies as a green conservative[28] and has been associated with economically liberal viewpoints.[29]

The Green Action Future (GAZ), the predecessor party of the ÖDP, was perceived and criticized in opinion leaders such as Der Spiegel as clearly conservative.[30]

In Germany, the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) was formed by more right-wing defectors from Die Grünen in 1982. It combined a focus on environmental protection with a promotion of the right to life (opposition to abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment); it differs from The Greens by being less supportive of immigration and restrictions on state powers in criminal justice issues, not focusing on gay and lesbian rights, and having a differing view on feminism.

While having never gained seats in federal or state legislatures in Germany, it made a name for itself by its involvement in the opposition to a Czech nuclear reactor in Temelin, across the border from Bavaria. It led an initiative for a popular referendum to abolish the Bavarian Senate (that state's upper house) which was successful. The party won a seat in the 2014 EU Parliament election and remains active.

Greece

Ecologist Greece is a green conservative party.

On 11 September 2009, Georgios Karatzaferis, leader of the far-right nationalist Popular Orthodox Rally (Laos) party announced that Ecologists Greece leader Papanikolas would run on the statewide Laos ticket in the 2009 Greek legislative election.[31]

Hungary

The Green Party of Hungary was founded on 19 November 1989. But when Zoltán Medveczki became Party President in March 1993, the party gradually changed its political position from moderate to radical right-wing. The MZP adopted anti-liberal, anti-communist, anti-Semitic and pro-fascist elements (Ecofascism) to its program and also criticized privatization and market economy. Medveczki also founded and registered the party's paramilitary wing, the Alliance of National Green Youth.[32] In was dissolved in 2011.

Italy

The Greens Greens was founded by Maurizio Lupi, a former member of Christian Democracy and of the Federation of the Greens. In the 2004 provincial elections of Turin the Greens Greens supported the centre-right candidate Franco Botta. In the Piedmontese regional election, 2005 the Greens Greens supported the centre-right candidate Enzo Ghigo; the list got 23,761 votes and the 1.16% of the vote. In the Italian general election, 2008 Alessandro Lupi ran for the Chamber in The People of Freedom's list, in the division Piedmont 1, but he wasn't elected. In the Piedmontese regional election, 2010 the Greens Greens supported the centre-right candidate Roberto Cota, winning the 1.76% of the vote and one seat. In the Piedmontese regional election, 2014 the party supported the candidate of Forza Italia Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, but it got only the 0.27% of the vote and no seats.

Latvia

In February 2004, after the breakdown of the four-party government, Indulis Emsis of the Latvian Green Party was appointed to form a new government and became the first head of government of a country anywhere in the world from a Green party.[33]

Following the 2014 Latvian parliamentary election, the Union of Greens and Farmers became the third largest party in the country with 21 seats, 6 of which are held by the Latvian Green Party which is the second largest of the 4 parties which form the Union (in terms of the number of seats it holds).

Lithuania

In the 2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union became the largest party in a surprise victory with 51 seats. The party's standpoint on the economy and many other issues is broadly center-right.[34]

Following the success of the Farmers and Greens Union at the 2016 election, Chairman Ramūnas Karbauskis said he was open to a coalition with either the right-wing Homeland Union, the center-left Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, or both, however the former declined to form a coalition with the latter.[34] The Farmers and Greens Union eventually formed government with the Social Democrats but maintains its center-right policies.

Portugal

The Portuguese Earth Party (Partido da Terra) is a green conservative[35] political party in Portugal, founded on 12 August 1993.

United Kingdom

In 1970, the Conservative Government of Edward Heath created United Kingdom’s first Department of the Environment.[36]

At the 1988 Conservative Party Conference Margaret Thatcher said, "It’s we Conservatives who are not merely friends of the Earth – we are its guardians and trustees for generations to come. The core of Tory philosophy and for the case for protecting the environment are the same. No generation has a freehold on this earth. All we have is a life tenancy – with a full repairing lease. This Government intends to meet the terms of that lease in full."[37]

In the early 21st century, the Conservative Party under David Cameron promised a green agenda which included proposals designed to impose a tax on workplace car parking spaces, a halt to airport growth, a tax on petrol thirsty 4x4s and restrictions on car advertising. The measures were suggested by The Quality of Life Policy Group, which was set up by Cameron to help fight climate change.[38]

Cameron spoke of embracing 'green' issues, and had made climate change a key component of his speeches.[39] He called for an independent climate change commission to ensure that emissions reductions targets are met.[40] However, Cameron's claim of leading the "greenest government ever"[41] has been repudiated by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, who argued that Cameron had "shown little interest in green policy and the sustainability agenda."[42]

Zac Goldsmith, who was the Conservative candidate for London Mayor in 2016, describes himself as an environmentalist. He had received the Global Green Award for International Environmental Leadership in 2004.[43]

Bright Blue, a liberal conservative think tank launched the Green Conservatism project to create conservative support for policies that address climate change.[44]

Oceania

Australia

The first significant Green conservative in Australia was Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. During his time in office, he legislated significant environmental protection laws for the Great Barrier Reef while leader of the centre-right Liberal Party as early as the 1970s.[45]

Australian politics became more polemic around the year 2000. Once an uneasy alliance between the Australian Labor Party (the traditional opposition to the Liberal Party) and The Greens had formed, it caused many conservative voters to become suspicious of Green politics and so interest in Green conservatism waned.

In 2004, the conservative Family First Party aired a television advertisement labelling The Australian Greens as the Extreme Greens.[46] Since then, the continuously increasing anti-conservative dominance within The Greens has led to this label receiving broader use in the media.[47][48] Consequently, Green conservatives are entering political parties other than The Greens instead.

New Zealand

The Conservative Party of New Zealand has an environmental policy focused around actions within the country that can help the local environment rather than being tied to international agreements.[49]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Burke, Edmund (1792). Reflections on the Revolution in France.
  2. ↑ Drew Reed (15 October 2014). "South America's New Generation of Right Wing Environmentalists".
  3. ↑ Góes, Bruno. "PEN será Patriota para dar candidatura a Jair Bolsonaro | Lauro Jardim - O Globo". Lauro Jardim - O Globo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  4. ↑ 3, Jornal Página. "Bolsonaro escolhe o PEN para se lançar à Presidência em 2018". www.pagina3.com.br. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  5. ↑ Preston Manning plays green card, archived from the original on 21 January 2016, retrieved 2 March 2018
  6. ↑ "La Plaza". Los Angeles Times. 10 December 2008.
  7. ↑ Tim Johnson, For Mexico's Ecologist Green Party, 'green' mostly means money, not environment, McClatchy Newspapers (18 June 2012).
  8. ↑ "Green Party rival crossed the line, says gay candidate". Guadalajara Reporter. 16 May 2009. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  9. ↑ We Can Have Green Conservatism - And We Should - HUMAN EVENTS. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  10. ↑ The Case for Green Conservatism - Redstate. Retrieved 20 February 2010. Broken link. Internet Archive Archived 22 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ Dreher, Rod (2006). Crunchy Cons: The New Conservative Counterculture and Its Return to Roots. Random House. ISBN 1-4000-5065-0.
  12. ↑ "Home". ConservAmerica. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "IGVA News". Votejoinrun.us. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  14. ↑ Filler, Daniel. "Theodore Roosevelt: Conservation as the Guardian of Democracy". Archived from the original on 2 August 2003. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  15. ↑ Nixon, Richard (9 July 1970). "Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970". Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  16. ↑ Schwarzenegger, Arnold (7 December 2007). "California will Sue Federal Government". CNN. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  17. ↑ Bush, George W. (13 March 2001). "Text of a Letter from the President". Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  18. ↑ "Encourage Market-Based Solutions to Environmental Problems". OnTheIssues. 12 August 2000.
  19. ↑ "Fact Sheet: Harnessing the Power of Technology for a Secure Energy Future". 22 February 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  20. ↑ Kudlow & Company (26 March 2007). "Interview with Rudy Giuliani". Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  21. ↑ "Issue Watch: Achieving Energy Independence". Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  22. ↑ "The Candidates: Rep. Duncan Hunter". Washington Post.com. 12 October 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  23. ↑ Elisabeth Bumiller and John Brodermay (13 May 2008). "McCain Differs With Bush on Climate Change". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  24. ↑ Schandl, Schattauer: Die Grünen in Österreich. S. 125 f.
  25. ↑ Die Grünen
  26. ↑ Schädlingsbekämpfungsmittel on the Page of the FPS
  27. ↑ Oltermann, Philip (12 March 2016). "How one German region is bucking the rightwing trend by going green". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  28. ↑ Stucke, Julius (2 October 2018). "Konservative streben nach notwendigen Reformen". Deutschlandfunk Kultur. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  29. ↑ Solletty, Marion (4 June 2017). "Europe's Greens search for life after death". Politico. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  30. ↑ Christa Meves: Ad memoriam Herbert Gruhl. In: Naturkonservativ heute. Jahrbuch der Herbert-Gruhl-Gesellschaft e.V. 2003, Essen: Verlag Die Blaue Eule, 2003, S. 99–100, hier S. 100
  31. ↑ ΟΙ ΟΙΚΟΛΟΓΟΙ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΣΤΟ ΛΑ.Ο.Σ Archived 7 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine., Laos press release, 11 September 2009.
  32. ↑ Vida, István (2011). "Magyarországi Zöld Párt (MZP)". Magyarországi politikai pártok lexikona (1846–2010) [Encyclopedia of the Political Parties in Hungary (1846–2010)] (in Hungarian). Gondolat Kiadó. pp. 430–432. ISBN 978-963-693-276-3.
  33. ↑ Emilie van Haute: Green Parties in Europe, London: Routledge 2016, p. 118.
  34. 1 2 Lowe, Josh (25 October 2016). "The Farmers' Party That Stormed the Lithuanian Election: What You Need to Know". Newsweek. Newsweek. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  35. ↑ José M. Magone (2015). "Portugal". In Donatella M. Viola. Routledge Handbook of European Elections. Routledge. p. 364. ISBN 978-1-317-50363-7.
  36. ↑ "The Environment Secretary's speech pledging a 'Green Brexit' – full text". Conservative Home. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  37. ↑ http://green.brightblue.org.uk/project-1
  38. ↑ Pierce, Andrew (14 September 2007) 'David Cameron pledges radical green shake-up' Daily Telegraph.
  39. ↑ Daily Telegraph online, Cameron pledges tough measures on climate change. October 12, 2005.
  40. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6084958.stm BBC Online Cameron urges climate change law 25 October 2006.
  41. ↑ Randerson, James (14 May 2010) 'Cameron: I want coalition to be the greenest government everThe Guardian
  42. ↑ Lucas, Caroline (17 May 2011) Carbon budget: Could this be the greenest government ever? The Guardian
  43. ↑ Husbands, Helen (31 October 2007). "Zac Goldsmith is a 'Great Briton'". Newsquest Regional Press.
  44. ↑ "Green Conservatism".
  45. ↑ Byron Smith (4 November 2013). "Putting Conservation Back into 'Conservative': Why Climate Change is not Just for the 'Left'".
  46. ↑ Kate Arnott (1 October 2004). "Minor parties fight it out for Victoria's final Senate seat".
  47. ↑ Nikki Todd (10 November 2007). "Family First warns against Greens".
  48. ↑ James Massola (12 June 2016). "Election 2016: Greens' dummy spit over preferences as unedifying as it is hypocritical".
  49. ↑ "ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY". Conservative Party NZ. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
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