Guest election blog – Labour by Samuel Lindsay

I am a forest ranger and ecologist based on the west coast of Scotland. My role integrates engaging all levels of the community with their local natural spaces while still managing these areas for conservation. I have studied zoology, ecology and conservation and am deeply passionate about the nature the UK has to offer. 

I have previously voted for the Labour or SNP parties as they more closely align with my views than other prominent parties. Although I agree with many of the stances taken by the Green Party, they have not been viable options in the area where I have lived.

This is my review of, and my thoughts about, the environmental implications of the Labour Party’s election manifesto.

Things I like:

National Forests: It is good to see that there has been some light shed on expanding existing highly diverse habitats such as wetlands, peat bogs and woodland and the creation of 3 new national forests is a win, be it a small one on the scale of land use in England. We can only hope that they enable the public the right to access these woodlands. Any form of habitat expansion or creation has to be viewed as a positive, even if it is minuscule.

Water Policies: Although this has long been an issue, recent media has been active in bringing the illegal dumping of sewage by water companies to the public eye. Freshwater ecosystems are very sensitive to changes and already face significant pollution in many built-up areas. Labour is proposing tougher repercussions for repeat offenders which is a positive step forward, however, I do think these laws should be stricter. The negative effects of dumping sewage are well understood and are deliberate actions so any breaking of these laws should be treated seriously, not just for repeat offenders.

Ending Badger Culls: It is positive to see that Labour recognise the ineffectiveness of the badger cull in stopping bovine TB and is keen to see this brought to an end. Through misunderstanding the transmission of the disease and poor previous policies it will take a while to change the public and farmers’ perception of badgers so any steps towards this are positive.

Things I don’t like:

Blaming the Conservatives: Labour has taken the stance that the Conservatives are to blame for the state of the UK’s environmental affairs, going as far as to refer to it as “the Conservatives’ nature Emergency”. Although yes, the conservatives have put in place many policies that have contributed greatly to this, no party that has been in power over the past 30+ years can say they have not also played a part in the landscape. A far more compelling stance would be to recognise their previous shortcomings and focus on how they are going to improve moving forward and set a strong example.

Coastal Renewables: The potential of our “long coastline… shallow waters” for renewable energy infrastructure is highlighted, however this can have significant detrimental effects on these ecosystems. It is becoming more widely known that many forms of green energy come at a cost to specific species and habitats and may not be a viable solution.

Protecting Nature: The section on protecting nature is incredibly small given the size of this document. It is understandable that the focus of this document largely has to have strong relevance as to issues that benefit the public, however many of the benefits to people that come from protecting nature are indirect and these are the issues that need to be highlighted. This part was their opportunity to expand on this but instead very little was proposed in their plans to protect nature or why.

Things that appear to be missing:

Targets for Habitat Expansion: Although the talk of habitat expansion is positive, this is a very vague statement. There are no clear targets or areas identified for this to be carried out and it is therefore difficult to believe this is being treated as anything more than appeasing an environmentally aware demographic. It would not have taken much to identify some example areas and present the proposals in an easily digestible format.

Right to Roam: I strongly believe that engaging people with the natural world and enabling them to responsibly explore and nurture their connection is fundamental to a more environmentally conscious Britain, however, the public only has legal access to 8% of land in England. This manifesto dedicates 4 words to this issue and gives the impression it was added to fill a list rather than treated with the importance it requires.

Marine Ecosystems: Nowhere in this manifesto is there any mention of the UK’s fishing industry. This makes up a significant part of local economies in many rural towns and has already had pressure put on it following Brexit. This is so closely linked with the health of our marine ecosystems and I would have expected there to be some discussion on sustainable fishing practices going forward. The only mention of the waters around Britain is about installing renewable energy infrastructure on them.

Overall assessment:

In many regards, I do not feel that the environmental policies stated in this manifesto have any real substance to them. Each point feels like a token gesture to appease a demographic rather than the serious issue that the climate crisis presents. On the surface, many of the points can sound positive, such as the habitat creation. However, there are no quantifiable targets that they plan to aim for. Improving the policing of water quality and holding water companies is positive, but the actual consequences of this feel insignificant. If the penalty for a crime is a fine then it is not a law that applies to the wealthy and this feels like another example of that. The offshore wind farms are also of great concern, as they feel increasing the quantity of “green” energy alternatives is the way forward regardless of the catastrophic impacts this would have on our coastline ecosystems.

Would I vote for these environmental policies?

I feel like they are heading somewhat in the right direction, however, there is also great damage that they could do to the natural environment if they move forward the way they plan to here.

This is one of a series of opinion pieces on the political parties’ 2024 general election manifestos. We invited them to share their thoughts on one or two manifestos of their choice. We didn’t tell people what to write and we haven’t edited what they wrote (except to squeeze things into a common format, to correct minor grammatical and spelling errors and typos). The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Wild Justice.