What the green movement got right

4 November 2010

"I used to be a proper activist," Mark Lynas says as footage of him flinging custard pies appears in the Channel 4 documentary 'What the Green Movement Got Wrong.' 

Mark's definition of a "proper activist" is different from mine.  He and I are about the same age. But while he was throwing custard pies I was at Friends of the Earth, working to engage business and the Government in green issues and bring about real change. 

Channel 4's 'What the Green Movement Got Wrong' promised to reveal a radical new approach to saving the planet - and we were all ears. But, like the companies peddling the GM and nuclear technologies the programme pushes, it promised much and delivered little.

There's nothing new about GM and nuclear.  Both have been around for decades, both are expensive and ineffective and both are distractions.

And the 'new' pragmatic approach it heralds has actually guided Friends of the Earth's work for decades.

Panel debate

We weren't invited to appear in the programme to correct its many inaccuracies in person - but I was more than happy to set the record straight in the debate afterwards.

The documentary also accuses us of things we simply did not do, such as pushing the Zambian government into not taking GM food aid when in reality they made up their mind themselves - despite pressure from the Bush administration who used their humanitarian crisis as a business opportunity.

We've also pointed out that GM crops don't feed the world. But they do feed greedy corporations and lock farmers into a cycle of dependency and debt. It's no wonder the opposition to GM farming is being led by the farmers and communities in developing countries facing their impacts. In South America, for example, we are working alongside communities to stop forests and grasslands being destroyed to make way for vast fields of GM soy.

And we're not alone in pushing for a farming revolution based on what's best for the world's small farmers - it's also recommended by the 400 scientists behind the biggest ever assessment of agriculture.

The people behind the documentary, Mark Lynas and fellow book-peddling commentator Stewart Brand, claim we're behind the times.

But it's their argument against renewable energy that's out of step with the latest science. Recent research shows that, with a range of renewable technologies, a smart electricity grid and storage, we can power our homes and cars with energy generated from the sun, waves and wind.

Real solutions

Meanwhile, Friends of the Earth is focussing on driving the right kind of change - winning campaigns that are making a real difference.

After all, it's because of Friends of the Earth and our supporters that the UK has the world's first climate change law, requiring climate-changing emissions cuts in line with what scientists say is needed. And that's about as far from throwing custard pies as you can get.

Friends of the Earth response to Channel 4 documentary 'What the Green Movement Got Wrong'