On Thursday’s BBC Question Time MP Jacob Rees-Mogg bemoaned the environment holding up so many developments, asking whether we couldn’t care about people instead.

The pollutants that a new runway at Heathrow would create, for example, would affect people’s health. It is well established that green spaces and wildlife help people’s mental and physical health, as well as community cohesion.

There are millions of people in this country who appreciate the piece of green space near them, the creatures they see. Unlike the bureaucrats and politicians who, whenever they see a piece of green or feel the tingle of wilderness, get the thrill of wondering where the bottom line lies, how much profit can be made from banking woods and wildflowers, how much concrete can be used to coat the birds and the frogs.