A HUDDERSFIELD man has released a pamphlet about the environment.

Former Kirklees Council leader Sir John Harman has written an 80-page document called The Green Crunch.

The Edgerton man wrote the pamphlet after stepping down from his 13-year stint as chairman of the Environment Agency in June last year.

Sir John, who lives on New North Road, says politicians must do more to explain the urgent need for environmental action.

He said: “The Government’s Chief Scientist may have the ear of the decision-makers but Jeremy Clarkson has the ear of the electorate.

“Politicians must put the environmental facts squarely into the mainstream of electoral politics before voters will really respond.”

The Green Crunch examines how Britain can develop a green economic policy.

Sir John said: “Our comparative advantage as a nation will depend critically on having the right industrial strategy and being able to give the correct priority to long-term benefits over short-term costs.”

He added that the flooding in recent years showed how vulnerable Britain’s economy was to climate change.

He said: “In some respects we were lucky during the floods of 2007. We escaped the social chaos that would follow a prolonged loss of power for a large urban area, but we escaped it by the skin of our teeth.

“Government acted quickly after the floods had subsided to begin to assess the risk to infrastructure, but it will be a long job.

“Road, rail, power, water, communications, emergency services, hospitals, schools, care homes; you name it, it has vulnerabilities.

“From my experience with the Environment Agency I can find examples of each of these being knocked out in flooding.”

The Green Crunch will be officially launched by the Fabian Society on January 28. To order a copy call 020 7227 4900 or email bookshop@fabian-society.org.uk