The Sun behind the Clouds: The Grading Scale by the Icelandic Youth Environmentalist Association

Photo: The Icelandic Youth Environmentalist Association

Translation: Lilja Ragnheiður Einarsdóttir

The sun did not grace us with its presence on election day but it was certainly present in the hearts of many who made their way to the polls. This Sun behind the Clouds is named after the project introduced by the Icelandic Youth Environmentalist Association (Ungir Umhverfissinnar) in the lead up to the elections. Roughly three weeks before the elections, they gave each of the political parties running for parliament a bright yellow report card. It was graded in a traditional way with a point system from zero to one hundred which represented the quality of actions to protect nature and combat climate change proposed by the party policies. 

The project and the response to it

A great deal of work went into the grading scale. The factors that lay its foundation span three main subjects: climate, nature conservation and circularity in society. Under each subject, different measures to enforce better environmental policies and procedures were evaluated. During the creation of the scale, emphasis was placed on objectivity so that any party could score high if their policies on environmental issues were well-prepared and comprehensive. It did not suffice to call attention to the necessity of action without giving a detailed and realistic description of what that action would be. Each party’s policies were then graded on this scale by three women of science who all have a background in sustainability and environmental sciences. Finally the scores were presented on September 3rd 2021, three weeks before election day. The grades were revealed to each of the nine political parties as well as the public and many were surprised at the results.

The responses to the project were varied, some parties were disappointed or dissatisfied with their score whilst others celebrated having received free advertisement right before the election. Some tried to discredit the process by which the scale was made, thereby pivoting the discourse away from climate action and over to technical matters that had little to do with the issues at hand. It did, however, lead to an error being discovered in the grading for the Independence Party, which was then immediately corrected. Overall,  the Youth Environmentalist Association was commended for putting a greater emphasis on environmental issues and underlining their importance in the elections. The main objective of the scale was to allow voters to make an informed decision when going to the polls. It was also an attempt to make the climate crisis a focal point in the electoral debates and discussions because the next four years will be decisive in the fate of Iceland and the world with respect to climate change.  The project was a success, but whether or not its goals were all attained is another story.

Voted with the sun in mind - or did we not?

The election came and went with all of its promises, declarations and advertisements. To the annoyance of many environmentalists, the environmental and climate issues did not seem to affect the way in which people voted. This is evidenced by the electoral win of the Progressive Party and the substantial increase in popularity gain of the People’s Party, neither of which had a high score in the Sun project. The Green Left Movement lost support and thereby also lost influence in the government if the current government keeps collaborating for the next four years. Additionally, the Left Green Movement, the Reform Party and the Pirate Party who scored highest in the Sun project only amassed 30% of the vote jointly. The weighted average trade of the parliament is only 36,8 out of 100,0 points and the weighted average of the current government is even lower at 31,0 points. The Icelandic nation as a whole therefore gets a failing grade on the Sun scale according to the election results. The diligent and noble work by the Youth Environmentalist Association was not enough to veer the country in the right direction vis-á-vis environmental and climate issues. 

The main reason for this lacklustre response can be found in the Icelandic National Electronic Study. The study has observed elections for the last 40 years and shows that young and educated people put a greater focus on environmental issues than other matters. Others decide who to vote for based on more traditional issues such as wages and the economy. Environmental issues are distant from these voters, their effects are not clearly observable in their daily lives and the consequences of inaction are not problems that people can grapple with through personal research. However, there is hope in these findings because despite the differing views between generations and classes, there is general interest in some action being taken to address environmental matters, which was not recorded in previous elections. Environmental and climate issues were counted in the top four largest political issues that Iceland has to tackle today. There was also emphasis on the environment in the campaigns of individual parties, even some that had received a failing grade on the Sun scale. This all points to increasing interest in this field and therefore there is reason to hope that it will make more headway this next term than it has previously. 

The next few years are critical 

We cannot forget that the youth of today will inherit Earth in whatever condition previous generations leave it. Currently, it is unlikely that the earth will revert back to its previous state, prior to anthropogenic forcing,  and that generations to come will have to handle unforeseen circumstances. It is a luxury to allow oneself not to think of the future in an environmental context. A whole generation of people who, in different conditions, would be otherwise preoccupied cannot afford that luxury. When the future is uncertain it seems futile to worry about whether or not to buy an apartment in a country, which may be inhabitable in 50 years time. Despite not reaching all voters, as is evident by the results of the election, the Youth Environmentalist Association did important work by holding the political parties responsible for their policies on environmental issues. It is crucial to keep putting pressure on those in power to make sure they treat Earth and its inhabitants with care.

The Youth Environmentalist Association is a free membership organisation that anyone can join and participate in. For further information you can visit their website, https://www.umhverfissinnar.is/., as well as consulting the results and information about the Sun https://solin2021.is/.

Photo: The Icelandic Youth Environmentalist Association