Archived press release

Pollution costs us the earth

23 September 1999

The report sets out a series of startling facts, showing how the poor are affected by environmental issues such as pollution, traffic congestion and fuel poverty (i.e. where income is too low to allow energy inefficient homes to be properly heated):
. there are 662 polluting factories in Britain in areas where the average household income is less than £15,000 a year but only five are in areas where average income is above£30,000. In London more than 90% of polluting factories are in areas with below average income. In the North East the figure is more than 80%
. a child in social class five is five times more likely to be killed in a road accident than a child in social class one
. 76% of households with an income of less than £4,500 a year also suffer from fuel poverty.

In his Introduction, Michael Meacher says that:
“The value of this pamphlet is that it demonstrates not only that environmental problems are serious, but also that they impact most heavily on the most vulnerable members of society: the old, the very young and the poor. There has been far too little research in this country into the social effects of environmental degradation.”

The report warns environmentalists that no programme for greening Britain can hope to succeed if it does not tackle issues of inequality and social exclusion. It argues that isolated environmental policies cannot hope to succeed. Indeed, they could make the position of the already disadvantaged even worse. Fuel price rises may be necessary to discourage excessive car use, but by themselves they may simply make the rural poor yet poorer. But well-designed policy packages can deliver both environmental and social benefits. The authors show how investment, pricing policy, Government regulation and market intervention can come together to make change happen.

The report is critical of some Government policies where "action on environmental and social issues are still taken in isolation". For example the 1999 Budget increased winter fuel payments to pensioners to about £800 million a year - but this does not tackle the root cause of fuel poverty, and is effectively only a "firefighting" measure. Similarly, VAT on fuel "has not made people use energy more efficiently, and the revenues have not been targeted at energy efficiency programmes. This tax badly affects poor people's ability to keep their homes warm- and is in direct conflict with the Government's aim to wage war on inequalities".

The report argues that environmental and social goals can be met together, by a range of policies focused on improving housing quality, with a targeted programme aimed at improving half a million homes each year, for 15 years. Total investment required is about £1.25 billion a year. Part of this money could be found by better targeting of Winter Fuel Payments. The report warns that "if the money from energy efficiency investments comes increasingly from levies and taxes and less from general taxation, then the trend would be towards raising the money in a regressive way ... This means that it is even more imperative that money raised from such levies be spent on poorer and vulnerable households and that other compensatory policies for the poor, such as fairer pricing, are developed in a broader fuel poverty strategy."

On transport, the report supports road traffic reduction, and investment in public transport. But it also suggests policies targeted at the rural poor, to offset the effects of the fuel price escalator - the automatic rise in petrol taxation in each Budget. These should include:
. direct financial help targeted on those with rural postcodes in receipt of means tested benefits
. rural travel cards offered at concessionary rates to benefit claimants and pensioners
. targeted rebates to encourage a shift from large and fuel inefficient cars to smaller more efficient vehicles.

Commenting, Friends of the Earth Director Charles Secrett said:

“The key conclusion of this important report is that environmental campaigners cannot win if they do not understand how their demands relate to problems of social justice.Campaigners for redistribution and equality need to consider how their policies contribute to a sustainable future for the planet. This should be the future of radical politics in Britain.”

Catalyst Director Barbara Gunnell said:

"Those who care about social justice and those who care about the environment have to develop a common programme. This has already happened in some European countries but Britain lags behind. For example, Labour's fuel payment to pensioners acknowledges the special needs of poorer houses but ignores wider issues of energy efficiency measures which richer households take for granted and can implement to save themselves money. This report shows how closely linked green concerns and the issues of poverty are."

NOTES

Catalyst is the new left-of-centre think tank established to promote practical policies of redistribution of power, wealth and opportunity. It seeks to engage those who have a limited voice in the political process with policy-making based on academic insight and practical experience.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust