Us and them freezes global warming action.

A bunker mentality is why in the US and Britain climate change is paralysed politically.

A split between groups who support and don’t support action on climate change will always end up separated party political lines. A focus on climate change as an topic that divides opinion becomes self-reinforcing as political parties use it as a wedge issue to separate voters. Typically climate action has been a way on building Democrat support, whilst Republicans have used fossil fuel support and climate inaction to entrench their base.

Compare that to many European democracies that have more collaborative and consensual politics, whether this is the grand coalition in Germany or multi-party Scandinavian governments. Here environmental policies are less likely to be wedge issues and more likely to be topics which bring parties together. Rather than posing climate change action as a Socialist ideal, it can be a way of saving fiscal hawks money, a way of improving public health or a reason to build new jobs and infrastructure. Framing differently builds collaboration not competition. Framing with an us and them only holds back progress.

Creating an idea that others need converting, and not listening to the reasons they support certain ideologies will never work. Climate change means working collaboratively not divisively.

Green groups do themselves and their movement no favours by not looking for common ground with those that don’t share their goals. Entrenching a sect of support will only get you so far, to tackle the worlds most pervasive of problems support is required from all sections of society with many different motivations. Whether that’s because energy efficiency will save poor households money on their bills, tackling pollution reduces your health risk, or investment in green technology will deliver to your venture capital firm.

Climate change can’t be a one party, one group issue. It needs to be recognised by all sides for the multifaceted and pervasive issue it is.