Society is a contract between past, present, and future generations. As conservatives, it is our duty to uphold this contract, to pass on our world to the next generation in a better state than we found it. We strive to do this because we care about the home that future generations will inherit. Our instinctive love of home, or “oikophilia” as the late Sir Roger Scruton called it, is intertwined with a desire to improve it. 

 

We are the stewards of England, our home. This shared inheritance applies as much to our cultural and economic heritage as it does to our guardianship of the natural world. The English countryside lies at the heart of this collective natural inheritance. A source of great national pride and international recognition, our countryside is at the core of our national identity. But we risk taking it for granted.

 

Although England contains many things worth conserving, our natural inheritance is weak. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. We have diminished our countryside and - unless we are prepared to live with the consequences - it is our duty to restore nature to our landscapes. As with so many issues, conservatives recognise that, if we want to protect what is important, we must be ready to change them. 

 

Unfortunately, in recent years, some conservatives have been sceptical about the need to restore our natural environment. Worse still, some do not regard its protection as a ‘proper’ conservative priority. This is misguided. 

 

We cannot trust the left to conserve and restore our natural inheritance. They do not understand the real significance of the natural environment, nor do they have the inclination to protect and restore it. While leftist ideology aligns with the dark satanic mills, it is conservatism that attaches itself to England’s green and pleasant land. Nature is something that, as conservatives, we are philosophically predisposed to care about. And as conservatives, we must heed the call to action.

 

Intergenerational fairness and stewardship are not just buzzwords to be thrown around to give the impression that we care. They are principles that must guide any conservative wanting to leave the environment in a better state than they found it. This requires us to first tell the truth about the current state of our natural world.

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