Benn's cultural challenge

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So no sooner than a committee of MPs calls for a group to be formed to tackle climate change in a truly effective way than Hilary Benn turns up at Kew Gardens and states that a beefed-up climate change committee has got it all in hand. Coincidence? Yes, you can be cynical about the stance taken by Benn yesterday on the upcoming Climate Change Bill. But you can't help agree with his basic point that we all have a responsibility for this.

George Monbiot points out the fundamental changes that are needed in the Guardian this morning. For Benn to really drive home change he needs the people behind them. And if they're more interested in watching Top Gear than tuning in to conservation or sustainability shows than there is a way to go before real political consensus, and therefore action, can be achieved.

We've not seen or heard too much from Benn as yet but tackling that cultural shift (growth, consumption, travel etc) may well be as important a task for him as hitting emission targets. You clearly need the former before the latter is a realistic prospect.

Comments

[Ian Kemmish]

But it's not a challenge that any politician can deliver on. What's required for a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour is summed up in a simple and extremely old rule of thumb - you have to be twice as good at half the cost. Until then, you're just wasting your breath.

At the moment, "green" technologies are neither cheaper not better - they just give you a warm fuzzy. The people developing them need to be able to pack decades of R&D into years of time. There are people around who can do that, they just don't happen to be working in these industries.

[Phil Clark]

Wow, that's quite a challenge you've laid down Ian. And quite a target for our political masters to set. "We vow to half the price of renewable energy by 2020."
I'm fascinated to know which industries you think these people are from. IT? Science? Engineering?

[Matthew]

A few random thoughts.

According to the EC 'Action Plan for Energy Efficiency', LEDs could save 50% of electricity used for lighting in resi by 2025. And, "In residential buildings, retrofitted wall and roof insulation offer the greatest opportunities". It suggests savings of 27% is possible in resi and 30% in commercial.

Combine this with the fact that business reduced emissions by some 25% between 1990 and 2000 (from NAEI), is it as hard as it sometimes seems to meet reduction targets?

Most people do still prefer Top Gear (incl. me - conservation shows make me shout at the TV ;)) but attitudes may change. And if Demos research is correct - that 50% of children feel they don't have any outside / public space to play in (see http://www.demos.co.uk/projects/childrenmakeplaces/overview ) - can we also make a difference by getting them outside and away from their TVs? And encouraging them to walk to school?

Not really sure I have a point... Maybe that we don't actually need windmills, solar panels, other micro-gen? Surely the environmental impacts of producing them for all (25mn?) homes would be huge.