John Gummer, David Cameron and Zac Goldsmith at the Wetlands Centre in Barnes, London. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA
If you're a British voter concerned about the state of the environment then the past few weeks have been like sitting before the tree on Christmas morning after waiting a full year for the day to arrive. Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have set out their eco stalls ahead of the conference season and now wait to see what their party faithful make of the policy suggestions on offer. (You'd better don that tin hat, David.)
Some people speak of the next election (possibly occurring as early as this autumn, if you believe some political sages) as being the first truly green election this country has ever had, with the environment right up there alongside law and order, education, health and the economy as the key battlegrounds.
Even if it does appear that the Labour party is being left for dust by its political opponents at present when it comes to green policies, hopes are indeed high that, finally, meaningful political change regarding the environment could now be happening. There is only one direction the parties seem to be going at present - yes, at differing speeds and opposing routes - and that's due green.
Of course, this is me wearing my optimistic hat - something I rarely like to dust down and wear, admittedly - but even though most of us can spot contradictions and timidity seeping from each of the party's declared policy proposals, overall I think we must pinch ourselves that the parties have moved as far as they have in the past few years.
Yes, of course, the truly bold and radical changes we need to undergo as a country, if not a world, to decarbonise are rarely tackled full on by any of the mainstream parties - bar perhaps the Liberal Democrats who certainly talk the talk in terms of audacious targets but don't currently tick the box with most voters.
This is pretty much the view of the Green Alliance, a mighty coalition of campaign groups concerned about the environment (and representing over five million supporters) that includes the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, National Trust, RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust and WWF. With perfect timing, it published its 'How Green are the Parties' report this week and rated each of the mainstream parties on their environmental credentials. The Liberal Democrats came top, followed by Labour, then the Conservatives.
The report's authors were pleased that there is much focus among the parties now on the issue of climate change, but were "seriously concerned" that other areas of concern such as "the protection and enhancement of the countryside and biodiversity, and their importance to people" were being largely forgotten. (That the issue of climate change is now overshadowing all other environmental matters is a concern I hear aired a lot these days - but then again it is an issue that does largely affect every other issue.) It was a case of 'could do better' for all parties: "In our view no mainstream party is yet providing consistent leadership to match the breadth or the urgency of the challenge our society faces."
Interestingly, just a day later, upon the publication of the Conservative's Quality of Life report, the director of the Green Alliance roundly praised its findings: "The report contains a clear vision and a remarkable array of imaginative policy proposals...It offers an astute mix of taxes and incentives that would help transform our society and economy to live within environmental limits and improve our quality of life."
Now we must await the drafting of each party's manifesto to see just how much of this green talk and posturing makes it into hard print. There is already much talk that the Conservatives, for example, will need to drop many of the suggestions made in the Quality of Life report, such as green taxation for aviation, because they are simply too unpalatable among the more right-wing party members. One question I get asked a lot, though, is where does all this leave the Green Party?
It is ironic that this week, while the other parties have been trumpeting their eco credentials, the Green Party has been debating with itself about whether to have a single, recognisable leader or not. Does it still have a role any more, given the way the main parties are now adopting ever-greener polices? More importantly, is it likely to remain largely irrelevant to the electorate so long as proportional representation remains a distant dream at general elections? (Let's be honest, a position that the Liberal Democrats find themselves in, too.)
Ultimately, though, do any of them deserve our vote, given what we know about the pressures facing the environment? Would you vote for any of them?
