Thirty seven years ago, on this day, March 2nd, 1989,
‘Mrs Thatcher, looking back over your life,’ the BBC’s Michael Buerk asked, ‘are you really a friend of the earth?’ The Greening of Mrs Thatcher, broadcast on 2 nd March 1989, BBC Two logo
BBC Two
First broadcast: Thu 2nd Mar 1989, 20:30 on BBC Two England
The Greening of Mrs Thatcher From No 10 Downing Street Mrs Thatcher talks to Michael Buerk.
Prime Minister for ten years, Mrs Thatcher and her Government’s environmental record hasn’t won her many bouquets. This weekend she hosts a major international conference on saving the ozone layer, when that record and her commitment will be on the line. She says that the Tories are the real ‘friends of the earth’, but is she genuinely committed or just chasing the Green vote?
Tonight she talks for the first time about her own attitude to the environment, and what her new initiatives could mean for Britain and the rest of the world.
Research MARK FIELDER
Outside broadcast director IAN PAUL
Producer AMANDA THEUNISSEN
Editor PETER SALMON BBC Bristol
TV Interview for BBC1 Nature | Margaret Thatcher Foundation
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 353ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The broader context was that Thatcher had been briefed on carbon dioxide build up in 1979 by her Chief Scientific Advisor, John Ashton, and had replied with an incredulous you want me to worry about the weather? This didn’t stop her using the possibility of a greenhouse effect to say nice things about nuclear power. Marc, if you haven’t already put the Tokyo and Venice G7 meetings on your search for list at National Archives, do so now and Thatcher had continued to largely ignore carbon dioxide build up as an issue, even though it was there in the 1987 Conservative Party manifesto.
The specific context was that thanks to nudges from people like Crispin Gickle in 1988 Thatcher had given a surprising speech at the Royal Society, and so kicked off concern about Carbon Dioxide build up. However, the green organisations had challenged her to do something meaningful, legislatively, and she had not been interviewed by Michael Burke on whether she was, quote, a friend of the earth. UNQUOTE, she said the following, x, y, z.
What I think we can learn from this is that people like Thatcher are were capable of doing what’s called a reverse ferret completely. U turning on their position. And that’s what happened in this case.
What happened next she kept giving nice features about carbon dioxide build-up without ever pushing through any meaningful action by Her Majesty’s Government, and she was toppled in November 1990 shortly after giving another speech at the second world climate conference in Geneva.
What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.
Also on this day:
March 2, 1954 – UK newspaper readers get Greenhouse lesson from Ritchie-Calder
March 2, 1956 – IGY oceanography meeting on “clearer understanding”