EXCLUSIVE - The Common Touch

Zac Goldsmith, 31, eco-warrier, environmental policy advisor to Tory Leader David Cameron, Richmond parliamentary candidate, editor of The Ecologist and now contributor to the ICA's ground-breaking book and exhibition All Tomorrow's Pictures ( 59 taste and policy makers, celebs, and artists and one competition winner took pictures capturing their vision of ‘tomorrow' ) ticks all the boxes for a modern, middle-class man-about-town. Beautiful wife ( Sheherazade ) and gorgeous kids : check; rambling Devon e

Looking at your images for the future it appears as if your vision is one of rural living, self-sufficiency, respect for plants and animals and no cars! Is this a fair assessment ? Is this how you'd like to see the future, or how you think it actually will be?

I think food and oil security will become big issues in our lifetimes. We're massively dependent for our most basic survival on ever-available supplies of cheap oil - and a food system that is literally ravaging the world's bread baskets. Whether we like it or not, we will see a return to more localised, diverse, natural system of farming – and whether be accident or design, our oil addiction will come to an end.

What made you want to take part in this exhibition?

When I was asked to be involved I liked the idea of taking very simple pictures of very natural scenes. Nature is by far the greatest artist.

Can the arts have any impact on the real world? Can a painting or a play change someone's view?

The arts can be incredibly powerful. That's why history's most authoritarian regimes have all tended to impose restrictions on the arts. But the arts also reflect the here and now, and that's valuable. We've never lived more unnatural lives than we do today. Our societies have never been more wasteful, more destructive, more fragmented than they are today. So when I look at some conceptual ‘masterpieces' of today, I see an honest account.

What art works have inspired you?

I am inspired by art works that draw on the past, are designed to last and whose creation is the result of great talent. I am a very big fan of Quinlan Terry. As a student I watched him create the beautiful library at Downing College in Cambridge. I have re-visited it since and it has improved with age. What I like about Quinlan Terry is that he isn't trying to be original for the sake of it. He doesn't try to shock with his designs, or to stamp his signature on a place. He doesn't indulge his own ego at the expense of our environment.

Moving on to politics - do politicians actually hold real influence any more? Or are the majority more likely to listen to a celebrity?

Celebrities have enormous influence, and I admire the ones who use it well. But the real power still lies with politicians, and it's on them that the pressure needs to be applied.

Are you sorry to see Tony Blair go?

Blair is the biggest political figure in my life, and it will be strange to see him go. But I can't help thinking his ten years has been a tragedy. He had a huge mandate and a massive majority – and yet the vast majority of his reforms and initiatives have been a disaster. But he's not finished yet – and he may well end up doing more good out of power than he did in number 10. He is a hugely gifted politician and if he applies himself to, for instance, the Israel-Palestine conflict, I think he could make an enormous difference.

Is London environmentally aware? What more would you like to see being done? And what will the Tories do if they get into office?

In many ways London is ahead of the game environmentally. A lot of that is down to Ken Livingston. He doesn't always get it right, but he's constantly trying to raise the bar on the issue. The Tories will have a strong emphasis on energy efficiency – in our homes and public buildings. That has to be a priority. But where we can also make a big difference is in the City. When people claim the UK contributes to only 2% of global emissions, that ignores a number of things not least the money that flows through the City. When that's taken into account, the figure is more like 16%, so pricing carbon firmly into the market – turning pollution into a direct financial liability – is unavoidable if we're serious about Climate Change.

After years of environmentalists trying, the 'green' issue is now fashionable and the market is finally embracing it. Why's it taken so long? What's changed now to make this issue on the tip of everyone's tongues?

The main reason is that the signs of environmental stress are becoming clearer. There's as close a consensus as science allows on climate change, and there's an obvious appetite for green solutions among the public. What's made the debate jump forward in politics – and most if not all green groups would agree - is the decision by David Cameron to make it his priority. The environment has never been an election issue. That's all changed.

Is there a danger that organic food and holidaying in the UK rather than abroad is becoming a middle class lifestyle choice? Is the message of being environmentally aware coming across to everyone?

I think the message is spreading fast. Al Gore has made a huge difference. But to make the change happen at every level, the government needs to use its huge buying power – and ability to raise standards – to flip the market in the right direction. Only then will ethical choices become mainstream. I absolutely believe that's what people want.

But can everyone afford to buy organic?

Not yet. But it's mad that locally produced food, free from packaging, chemicals and so on should be more expensive than food flown or shipped in – at great expense to the environment – from the other side of the world. The truth is, we pay twice for our food – over the counter and through our taxes. If the government stopped subsidising the ‘wrong' kind of food production and distribution, and shifted the support towards truly sustainable, diverse localised farming, the market for organic food would mushroom.

Does David Cameron reflect the whole electorate and inspire people to change environmentally? Is he a man of the people?

I obviously think Cameron is right to have identified this issue as a priority. I think he's doing the right thing and will be rewarded electorally for doing the right thing.

Are you?

Who knows? I've always been depressed – as far back as I remember – by the destruction of the global environment, and I will always do what I can to help stop it.

Does being a father make you more aware of the future of the planet?

I love having children, but the one downside is the worry. I do worry that we're facing such an uncertain future. It's hard to imagine that increasing pressure on the world's precious resources - our soil, our water and so much else - won't lead to an increasingly volatile and dangerous world for our children. We are going to see rapid, fundamental change whether we like it or not. I hope we'll get our act together in time to ensure it happens on our terms.

Did your children use cloth nappies? And did you change them?

They used either biodegradable organic nappies or cloth. I changed them when I had to!

All Tomorrow's Pictures, in association with Sony Ericsson. For more information visit www.ica.org.uk.
All pictures taken using the Sony Ericsson K800i camera phone

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