Taxpayer Funded Environmentalism - The TaxPayers' Alliance

Analysis
Taxpayer funded environmentalism creates a series of problems:
• It distorts policymaking in favour of the interests and ideological preoccupations of
narrow political elites. The Ipsos-Mori Issues Index suggests that 1 per cent of
Britons regard pollution or the environment as the most important issue facing
Britain today and just 6 per cent name it as an important issue. 5
• It slows adjustments in the direction of policy in reaction to new evidence or
circumstances. If politicians and officials fund groups sympathetic to policies they
are advancing now – like renewable energy subsidies – that will cement those
policies in place. It will make it less likely that policy adapts to fit new evidence,
such as major improvements in the global natural gas supply that will increase the
relative cost of wind and solar power.
• It increases political apathy among the public. European Union funding, in
particular, is designed to substitute for genuine democratic engagement. If
campaigns are funded with public money instead of from private donations then
there is less need to engage with wider society beyond Brussels or Westminster.
• Taxpayers are forced to fund views they may seriously disagree with. YouGov
found that majorities oppose attempting to reduce global warming through higher
taxes on petrol, higher airline fares and higher taxes generally to subsidise ‘clean
energy’ such as solar power and wind farms in March 2008. 6
The problems with taxpayer funded environmentalism are reflected by Greenpeace,
who have a policy of rejecting support from governments and business: 7
“Greenpeace does not solicit or accept funding from governments,
corporations or political parties. Greenpeace neither seeks nor accepts
donations which could compromise our independence, aims, objectives
or integrity. Greenpeace relies on the voluntary donations of individual
supporters, and on grant-support from foundations.”
That statement is not entirely accurate. Greenpeace does appear to receive lottery
funding in the Netherlands. 8 It reflects though, that one of the largest and most
influential environmentalist groups understands government funding would compromise
the integrity of their campaign.
5 Ispos-Mori ‘October 2010 Issues Index’, 20 October 2010
6 YouGov ‘Survey for The Economist and the Hoover Institution: Results’, Fieldwork March 7-11, 2008. Available
here: http://www.yougov.co.uk/extranets/ygarchives/content/pdf/UK%20US%20topline%20comparison.pdf
7 Greenpeace UK ‘About Greenpeace’, downloaded 24 November 2010, http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/about
8 Dagelijkse Standard ‘Postcode Loterij overtreedt wet op kansspelen’, 17 August 2010,
http://fp.dagelijksestandaard.nl/2010/08/postcode-loterij-overtreedt-wet-op-kansspelen/
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