Led by a group of young classical liberal activists, the BCA counts former Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd MP on its advisory board
The British Conservation Alliance, a new UK non-profit campaigning for a free-market approach to tackling climate and environmental issues, has been officially launched in a bid to fill the "glaring gap" in the political market for "pro-market, sensible environmentalism".
Founded in July by a "non-partisan group of conservative and liberal-minded millennials", the BCA counts former cabinet member Amber Rudd MP and Ryan Shorthouse, chief executive of conservative think tank Bright Blue, among the seven members of its senior advisory board.
Officially launched yesterday, the group is led by a young team of conservative activists with an aim of encouraging more students to engage in pro-market environmentalism and conservation measures, arguing the narrative of environmental protection has been "monopolised" by the left.
Describing climate change as "the most important challenge of our time", the group said it aimed to empower "a new generation of conservatives, libertarians, and classical liberals" to try and shift "pro-enterprise and market-based solutions" into the mainstream political debate.
Founder and president Christopher Barnard, a recent University of Kent graduate who also works as head of campaigning and events at libertarian group Students for Liberty, said he was inspired to set up the BCA after collaborating with other like-minded people in his age bracket.
"The BCA firmly believes that economic and environmental success are not mutually exclusive - in fact, it is possible to harness both the power of the free market and the beauty of our environment to the benefit of everyone," he said.
Climate change is increasingly seen as a key issue among younger people, spurred on over the past year by school strikes led by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg. A recent poll found younger voters were more likely to see climate change as a more pressing priority than Brexit.
The BCA said it aimed to set up a university network of affiliated societies in a bid to attract more support among students and young people for "free-market environmentalism" and "much-needed campus activism".
Other organisations affiliated with the BCA include the Initiative for Free Trade, young Conservative group Blue Beyond, the Property and Environment Research Centre (PERC), and the American Conservation Coalition.
"Everyone at BCA is profoundly passionate about the environment, and we seek nothing more than honest, transparent, and cross-partisan discussions on how to help save our planet," added BCA chief operating officer Maziar Shakibaii.
The Conservative Party has repeatedly sought to bolster its green credentials over the past decade, with the government touting its decarbonisation track record and the UK's new net zero emission target.
However, its commitment to tackling the climate crisis has been repeatedly questioned by opposing parties and the Party's green credentials have been undermined in the past by links to free market and openly climate sceptic groups that have campaigned for a watering down of environmental policies.