Conservatives have always been green

Many commentators, including many greens themselves and free market critics, are under the false impression that environmentalism is in some senses a left wing outlook. But this useful article by Geoffrey Lean in today’s Telegraph shows how mainstream conservatives have often backed environmentalist measures:

• Angela Merkel, Germany’s conservative chancellor, was instrumental in passing the Kyoto protocol on climate change.

• Richard Nixon, a Republican president, founded America’s Environmental Protection Agency.

• George Bush senior ran for presidential election as “the environment president” and endorsed the global declaration on the environment coming out of the 1992 Rio summit.

• Ted Heath, a Conservative prime minister, created Britain’s environment ministry.

• Margaret Thatcher was the first world leader to call for vigorous action on climate change.

Indeed Edmund Burke, the father of conservatism, described society as: “a partnership between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are yet unborn”.