the Carbon Challenge

Emission impossible?

Can we make a low-carbon lifestyle a reality by 2050?

Well, according to a survey we carried out recently it appears that people in the UK have a somewhat Orwellian view of what life might be like in 2050! More than four in ten Brits think the UK will need its own Carbon Police to enforce regulations and a quarter believe the worst environmental offenders will be forced to go to energy rehab, or take energy addiction classes. I have a vision of an awful lot of people being admitted to rehab, if regulations like these are needed to reduce our carbon emissions!

That’s why I believe that our new report - Emission impossible? – launched today is so important.

It examines the steps that we need to take for a low-carbon lifestyle to become a reality by 2050 and in the process help us to meet our ambitious 80 per cent carbon dioxide reduction target.

The good news is that if we start to take action now to lower our carbon emissions then we needn’t adopt austere lifestyles or make unpleasant personal sacrifices – something which was clearly of concern to the people we surveyed! In fact, I believe that a low-carbon lifestyle could actually improve the quality of all of our lives. Imagine living in warm, affordable, comfortable homes – with access to a range of travel choices, whilst at the same time sustaining our environment.

It often seems that only expensive, or far-off technological breakthroughs can really make a difference, a low-carbon future can be achieved with a combination of existing technology, bold policy decisions and the right personal choices.

I wouldn’t claim that we have all the answers and solutions yet though. The Emission impossible? report is just the beginning of what will be a process of engagement – not only with national and regional Governments and industry, but people like you and me. That’s why I’d love to hear what you think about the ideas contained in the report. Do you think they’re achievable, realistic, barmy or bonkers – and is there anything missing, which you think should have been included?

Click here to download the Emission impossible? report.

If you’d like to start saving energy now, why not visit our website www.energysavingtrust.org.uk, or contact our freephone local advice centre on 0800 512012

Not green or growth, but both!

Well, I have to say that David Cameron delivered a really interesting speech on Monday under the headline 'Blue Green Charter' ; at the Royal Horticultural Halls.  He made it clear that going forward that there will not be a fudge or a compromise, a choice between economic, social or environmental progress but that to quote him “we will develop a strategy for a realistic environmentalism”.  He went on to say that the reality is that the UK cannot afford not to go green at a time when oil tops $135 a barrel and when every family in the land is being so hard hit in terms of bills, but equally he made it clear that despite talking about completely changing the way we heat our homes, travel to work and produce our food that the answers lay clearly within fundamental Conservative philosophy or as he referred to the blue/green charter. 

He talked about five key features or principles, harnessing the powers of markets, neutral green taxation, security of energy supply, the prioritisation of energy efficiency and the renewal of our national transport infrastructure.  All fairly straight forward and obvious thus far you might think, although I felt in outlining two detailed initiatives around the development of green cars and the bringing forward of carbon capture and storage, he did actually touch on some really radical suggestions including that a Conservative Government would follow the Californian model and implement an Emission Performance Standard which to you and I means that all electricity generation going forward could not be higher in emissions standards than that generated in a modern gas plant.  Given the current Government’s confusion/difficulty over the development or otherwise of Kingsnorth as Coal Plant without CCS this is quite a different approach.  Similarly he talked about a novel policy initiative which appears to add up to a hypothecation of green taxes which would go into a separate pot to finance tax relief for families.  Not quite sure what that might look like but he was at pains to emphasise that it did not mean new taxes.

In a similar vein I was personally delighted to see Cameron endorse a new system of feed-in tariffs which I have been calling for for some time.  It might just explain the small discrepancy between the number of domestic and decentralised energy systems installed in Germany compared to the UK!

The fourth principle or feature of the Conservative approach is I am pleased to say squarely in my own territory of interest “energy efficiency” where a combination of regulatory and other interventions combined with what on the face of it looks like a clear commitment to smart metering should help us influence behaviour and encourage people to be more energy efficient.  The only caveat I would add is we can have smart meters but we mustn’t have dumb citizens if we are to make the best use of them and therefore, the announcement he made that a Conservative Government would ensure every gas and electricity bill contained information with regard to energy consumption and comparing to other households is potentially a real step forward. 

Finally, transport, often seen as the elephant in the room whether it be roads or airports.  This speech tackles both head on, some fairly contentious judgements about the need for a third run way at Heathrow, pepper a series of rather vaguer commitments to high speed rail and tackling road bottle necks but I got a sense that there was less meat on the bones here, although it was good to see a politician not afraid to be somewhat contrarian around the ever growing “right” to air travel.

All in all a really quite challenging speech and I refer to another challenging speech given by one Abraham Lincoln in rather different circumstances but it seems appropriate in the context of climate change and I quote “with public sentiment nothing can fail, without it nothing can succeed.  Consequently he who moulds public sentiment goes deeper than he who merely enacts statutes or pronounces decisions”.  This speech by the man who maybe the next Prime Minister goes some way in policy terms in delivering on that sentiment.

Recycle Week hits the streets

If you were possibly on another planet last week, you may have missed the fact that it was Recycle Week, but, looking at the 250 odd press hits this morning, it certainly wasn’t missed by most. I thought it was interesting, just scanning some of the press reports, to look at some of the things that people got up to last week up and down the country, across hundreds of different events. How about the ethical fashion show in Folkestone headed up “Wear is Billy?” (for the uninitiated he’s the cartoon boy in the Recycle Now ads). Down in the West Country, in Gloucester, there was a massive recycling road show where you could ask any questions you might have about recycling, whilst at the Royal Cornwall Show, over the weekend the County Council had a stand throughout the show, showing you what you can recycle from different parts of the house. Up in the North there were events in Leeds, showing you just how a green bin is sorted and intriguingly, in Manchester, Stockport’s recycling officers were giving the city’s green banks the green treatment themselves by sprucing them up, giving them a complete transformation. In the East it was all a matter of looking out for Bertie Bottle and Carrie Can, in Norfolk they were trekking boldly across the country reminding everybody in the area what it is to recycle, particularly at selected primary schools which is where the message seems to be well received wherever it is in the country.

Which brings me on to something else – Schools. If you want to see a really engaging piece of schools material, one has just been published by the Worcester Bosch Group for young primary kids called – Picture a Greener Future featuring Bobby the Boiler and Solar Sam. The story of which is all around things that take place in the house but also includes a Spot the Difference competition, mix ‘n’ match energy facts and an energy word search – all with readily available answers. This is the sort of stuff that really engages young minds, in fact come to think of it, a few adults might benefit from it as well! Well done to Tracey, Richard and Sue at the Worcester Bosch Group for this really clear, engaging and concise publication. If you want to catch it go to www.worcester-bosch.co.uk

Inspiring and engaging young people to help save the planet