The Green Alliance Podcast Green Alliance

In this episode, Shaun Spiers, executive director of Green Alliance, chairs a panel discussion with four experts across policy and politics from across the organisation: Holly Brazier Tope, head of politics, Libby Peake, head of resource policy, Liam Hardy, senior policy analyst, and Lydia Collas, head of natural environment.

This discussion, recorded one week after the election, delves into how the new Government will likely approach environmental policy and politics, what the results mean for future of UK energy, resources and nature policy, and what the key moments will be over the coming months.

In this episode, Sophia Greacen, policy adviser at Green Alliance, narrates some highlights from our recent event "The Nature of Our Economy" where we were joined by Michael Mainelli, Lord Mayor of the City of London and Professor Anusha Shah, President of Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

They provided insight into what's necessary to implement the findings of The Dasgupta Review, so that we better value nature and can begin to restore our natural assets and wealth, avoiding counterproductive losses.

In this episode, Steve Coulter, Green Alliance’s head of economy, speaks to experts about why the UK is crying out for a green industrial strategy.

Industrial strategies are driving change around the world, in the US, EU and China, but the UK has yet to follow suit.
Green industrial strategy is more than just switching from carbon to electric power, it must encompass a broader vision integrating economic resilience by meeting environmental objectives across organisational, political and economic frameworks.

We hear the case for the UK to join other leading nations by creating a bold vision for a green economic transformation from Matthew Lockwood, senior lecturer in energy and climate policy at Sussex University, who says the UK needs to be less reactive and start planning longer term, and Silvia Weko, postdoctoral researcher in European energy politics and policy with the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg in Germany.

The benefits and challenges of participatory policy making are discussed with Stephen Frost, Co-Head of Participative Research and Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research. Many climate experts have expressed the need to bring people along in the transition to net zero, ensuring it is one of social justice. The use of participatory research methods and policy making processes is one way to do so.

Stephen discusses IPPR’s Environmental Justice Commission and how the outcomes of its citizen’s juries have shaped IPPR’s policy recommendations.

How can inclusive policy making change policy outcomes? When individuals’ power and privilege often correlate with emission outputs, it is important to consider those involved in environmental policy making. Involving the public in policy making that impacts them often leads to ‘better’ policy and less backlash, yet it isn’t something think tanks consistently do.
In this conversation Hirra explores what inclusive policy making means in practice and how Possible’s policies have consequently evolved.

Including those impacted by policy in the policy making process is not always a given. Green Alliance has been exploring how and why policy makers should be inclusive of the public, marginalised communities and communities that typically have not been sought out for engagement and implementation processes of environmental policy.

The importance of think tanks and NGOs having inclusive policy making processes is discussed with Emma Vogelmann, Policy, Public Affairs and Research Manager at Transport For All.