At the weekend, I was at an event at the Latitude Festival where Franny Armstrong, the director of the excellent climate change film, The Age of Stupid (discussed in a previous blog here), was in debate with the Energy and Climate Change Minister, Ed Miliband. To begin, I was rather surprised that the occasionally obsessive Franny was willing to congratulate Ed on the recent government white paper which commits the UK to the largest reduction in CO2 emissions in the world. Clearly this is just a white paper, but assuming no-one has the outrageous gall to vote it down, it will mean that the UK is on the right path to achieving vital, legally-defined obligations on greenhouse gases.
This is of great significance, but it doesn’t escape the issue that Ed raised when I bumped into him watching Doves a few hours later (I say bumped into, accosted is probably more accurate). “What do we do about consumption?” was his unprompted question. Obviously he is treading on eggshells, worrying about the political impact of a ban on flying, big cars and so on would have, but fundamentally I think he feels stuck on how to encourage people to consume less. He knows that success in reducing consumption and therefore emissions is only going to occur if people willingly follow the cause. Forcing people to change generally goes down badly and in politics is tantamount to suicide.
However, the truth of the matter is that we need to be long-sighted. We need to realise that a disposable lifestyle is not an option, that unfettered consumption is morally and environmentally unsustainable and if we don’t change, we will be leaving a desperate legacy for our children and grandchildren. The trouble is, you can say it all you like, but unless and until we see some massive, immediate and shocking effect of climate change, a part of us will always think there’s enough time.
Yes, he is rather leaning away. It must be the beard. Or the lack of festival showers.
This Fair Earth - Beautiful, Handmade, Ethical Jewellery & Homeware