blog

03 Mar 2010

Green Monday

Posted by: Lucy Warin

Green Monday

 Last night’s Green Monday saw Lib Dem team leader for Climate Change and Energy Lord Teverson and Shadow energy and climate change secretary, Greg Clark discuss the role each party sees business playing in the move to a low carbon economy.

Both covered (and largely agreed) on COP failure, the insignificance of Glacier-gate, and the need for business to move beyond slogans and into real action.

Lord Teverson discussed the need for more UK sourcing of renewables, bringing more green jobs and greater energy security. He grouped the fall of the iron curtain with the move from coal to gas power plants, and the recession as the only significant drivers in reducing our carbon footprint.

For this month’s Green Communications round table, we discussed Green PR Trends for the year ahead.

The group felt that the combination of ‘failure’ in Copenhagen, UEA emails and Glacier-gate has had a negative effect on both the public and business. It was seen as fuel to the fire for conflict loving media; a fire which the publication of CRC Energy Reduction Scheme league tables would only stoke further. We felt the media have an unfulfilled responsibility in the way they interrogate information and that in complex situations they should take more care in distilling information.

The responsibility of big business to weigh into environmental debates was discussed and the overarching conclusion was… it depends.

The table felt that some companies could weigh in more readily whilst others (without sustainability as a core principle) struggled. There was a general consensus that businesses, government, NGOs and the media should all take more responsibility in protecting a body which is sticking its neck out.

Following on from Glacier-gate, the group also discussed this responsibility in relation to scientists. As one participant put it ‘Scientists now occupy the same space as estate agents and politicians’ and in a very ‘Sizzle’ themed remark, ‘it’s the message we need to sell, not the science’.

Finally the table discussed the need to stop talking solely about climate change. It was felt that we could incentivise a low carbon future without doom mongering or the public knowing every single fact in detail. The examples of peak oil and bumble bees where used to demonstrate that a combination of engaging tactics, personal touch points, and positive visions can be the next generation of effective green messaging.

As Ed Milliband often points out, Martin Luther King had a dream, not a nightmare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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