'Government poorly explains benefits of environmental policies'

The government poorly communicates the benefits of environmental policies to the public, according to the Sustainable Development Commission.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s ‘The World at One’, Jonathon Porritt, chair of the organisation, said that there is now the possibility of a public backlash against green policies in the wake of the current uncertain global economic climate.

“History will tell you that every time the economy goes into a downturn, environmental concerns seem to follow in its wake,” he said.

“Politicians are going to have to be very careful about that. They’re going to have to get a lot smarter about demonstrating to people why it is that the policies they bring forward in the name of the environment are also policies that work really well for people and the economy.”

Mr Porritt went on to say that the government is doing this well at the moment, in his opinion.

Last week, the Air Transport Users Council pointed out that airlines are considering cutting some of their less lucrative routes in the face of rising fuel prices.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association said: “Recent research has found that environmental concerns reached a pinnacle in January 2007, when 19 per cent of people, unprompted, named the environment as one of the biggest issues facing Britain today, compared with just a few per cent several years earlier.

“But by January 2008, that figure had fallen to 8 per cent, while the economy was rated a top concern by one in five.”

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The ETA is a not-for-profit ethical organisation providing motorists with carbon-neutral breakdown cover and insurance products. As well as encouraging responsible driving to reduce carbon, the ETA campaigns for sustainable transport.