It was during the early eighties that I studied Agricultural Economics at university in the UK. Traditionally, the students on the course had come from farming or agro-business backgrounds, but now the course was split evenly between students from the traditional background and environmentalists. The lecturers were generally dismissive of concepts promoted by some of the students, such as organic farming, renewable energy and their opposition to high input/high output farming methods.

The first event occurred thousands of miles from the UK. On 26 April 1986, Chernobyl’s number four reactor exploded, spewing a cloud of radioactive material across a swath of Europe. In the Ukraine, officials estimate that about 30 people were killed immediately and more than 15,000 people died in the emergency clean-up afterwards.

The radioactive fallout from the incident contaminated upland farming throughout the UK. For months cows' milk was thrown away and sheep unsaleable due to the high levels of radioactive contamination. The UK public belief in nuclear power as a safe energy source was gone for good.

The second was the discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle in 1985. According to the Government at the time, this posed ‘no concern’ to human health, until the evidence was undeniable. The slow deaths of several young people in the mid 1990s of the variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD) finally persuaded the Government to give up its protection of the meat industry and take serious action to eradicate the disease from the food chain.

The replayed TV image of the UK Agriculture Minister feeding beef burgers to his daughter in an attempt to reassure the public that beef was safe (just months before the first human case was diagnosed) is remembered as a symbol of a Government and farming industry in desperate denial of the truth.

So far, over 80 people have died of the condition, with up to 130,000 people predicted to be contaminated.

The third event was the shock sent through British politics by the UK Green Party, as it took almost 20% of the UK vote in the European Parliament elections in 1989. Concern for the environment was recorded as the most important political issue for the UK public. Almost overnight, political parties introduced positive environment policies into their manifestos.

The Government has positively followed public and business opinion. In 1992, the UK became a signatory to the United Nations Agenda 21 document, tabled at the Earth Summit in Rio de 

Janeiro. Agenda 21 recognised the need for cooperation between different sectors and the important role local authorities, businesses and communities could jointly play. It also moved the debate on from consideration of environmental issues alone; sustainable development became the new theory to integrate and reconcile the competing concerns of environmental, social and economic issues. Each local council in the UK has now adopted a Local Agenda 21 plan.

The environment lobby in the UK is a broad-based movement, in age, social class, and political following. Environmental protection is a concern equally for left and right, young and old. This broad base of active concern does not appear to exist yet in Australia.

In the past, businesses have relied on the confusion created by the conflicting statements and actions on environmental issues by scientists and environmental managers, enabling business to avoid its responsibilities. The targeting of species in environmental management has set environment groups against each other and confused the public. Blaming rabbits, foxes, cats and horses for the condition of the environment over-simplifies the issues and separates business from responsibility.

For instance, the blame for damage to the Barrier Reef placed on the crown of thorns starfish now seems unjustified. The explosion in the population of the starfish appears to be related to overfishing of its natural predators and runoff agricultural pollutants.

In order to send the right messages to business, the consumer requires adequate information. UK consumers now have a high awareness of environmental issues. This stems from a well-developed investigative media and the very high profile the environment now has within the education system. The UK media has pursued health and environmental issues and actively represented a wide range of views. Coverage in the Australian media is much more superficial.

In the UK, mass environmental awareness started with food awareness. Full labelling of food and drink contents is now mandatory. This gives consumers better information about what they are eating: its calorific values; percentages and type of each product included within it.

Maintaining the connection between food, farming and consumers is essential to promote business care for the environment. Although businesses may have reacted to immediate changes in consumer opinions, there are clear signs that they are starting to look at their long-term future.

The large supermarket chains have been at the forefront of promoting recycling, humane animal production, certified organic farming and accurate food labelling. They have acknowledged a social and environmental responsibility that they recognise is in their own best commercial interests.

The public has become increasingly willing to pay more for food that is reared humanely, organically and is free from artificial colourings and preservatives. The UK opposition to genetically modified food has been the strongest in the world due to the united opposition of business, the farming community and public opinion.

Other industry sectors have started to realise their relationship with the consumer and the environment. Although there is some cynicism that businesses have promoted their green image above the actual demonstration of their green activities, there is a seriousness about doing the right thing.

The energy sector has recently become a high profile supporter of environmental improvement. This industry sector recently pressed the Government into publicly supporting carbon emission trading under its Kyoto obligations. In addition, UK-based hydrocarbon multinational businesses are starting to promote development of renewable energies as their alternative future business lines.

Recently, there has been substantial success with industry emissions. In 1999, power stations cut overall emissions of sulphur dioxide by 29% (346,000 tonnes). The industry is replacing coal power stations with gas-powered combined heat and power systems in order to reduce emissions 60% by 2005.

The UK has long been known as the ‘dirty man of Europe’, for its high levels of pollution into the air and sea. Since 1989, due to environmental lessons learnt the hard way, businesses have been examining their environmental impact and increasingly working in partnership with local government and local communities.

Although businesses can be influenced through regulation, taxation and incentives, it is the power of the consumer that will prompt the greatest change. Businesses care about the environment when consumers care.

In spite of the recent changes in environmental policy and actions, the UK is still being reminded of its previous deserving reputation. Massive flooding is being seen as an ominous omen of the consequences of doing too little too late.

Although the UK bears the responsibility for the massive effect on its own environment, Australia has a larger negative impact per capita. However, Australia still has the time and opportunity to successfully address its role within the world environmental systems.

 Richard Steven's background 
includes developing plans for regional sustainable development 
and assessing community development projects in the UK.