Week 1
Introduction
Not so long ago, it was unusual to see much about the environment in anything but the hippyest of publications, and my friends, family and colleagues would save cuttings on green issues for me whenever they saw them. Recently there’s been such an up swell of interest in the environment that my desk would now collapse under the weight of just one day’s cuttings. It’s fantastic that there’s now so much coverage of this key issue of our time, but it can be hard to keep track of the latest developments. In this weekly blog I’ll jot down my observations and notes on media stories about climate change and the environment that catch my eye.
Vanity Fair goes green
Standing out amongst the glossies on news stands this month, Vanity Fair has produced its second annual green issue.
Coverage of the water crisis - in which one person in three worldwide lacks reliable access to fresh water and many have to spend a huge proportion of their income on water – sitting right next to ads for luxurious ‘eco-friendly’ getaways doesn’t make for comfortable reading. But I guess it’s an accurate reflection of the dilemmas we all face as we try to reconcile our appetite for the fine things in life with the realities of living on a planet that’s under threat.
With the featured ‘Global Citizens’ including Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Redford leading a field of internationally-acclaimed green big-hitters, it’s nice to think that the green movement is in revered hands. But as the articles on our ecological impact at the global and personal scale illustrate, glossy superstars and readers alike have got a long way to go before we can afford to be complacent (and maybe go on that eco-friendly getaway at last)…
Rocking around the world at the Live Earth concerts
Stars including Madonna, Genesis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Razorlight will help to raise popular awareness of climate change through a series of Live Earth concerts across seven continents on 7th July. Frustratingly I didn’t get my act together to enter the online ballot for tickets to the London concert, and shall be green with envy as 90,000 right-on revellers dance their organic socks off at Wembley Stadium that night. I imagine there’ll be a thriving recycling of tickets on eBay once they’re issued, so maybe I’ll be lucky second time round...
GMTV takes on the green agenda
Over the last week I’ve been presenting items on GMTV’s Green Week. Apart from getting up at 4.00 each morning, it’s been a fun experience!
I was asked help the Green family from Green Street in March (near Cambridge) live up to their name, and over the course of the week they made huge strides, dramatically cutting their energy bills by switching to low energy bulbs, washing at lower temperatures and getting rid of their second freezer (!) amongst other energy-saving changes, and reducing their water use and buying local produce and recycled household items. I even got the car-loving mum out of her people carrier for her numerous short journeys – with the help of a smart new bike. The family’s attitude towards the environment really changed during the week as they started to realise there were lots of practical things they could do that were also fun and economical, and I’m confident that they’ll keep up the good work.
As well as spending time in Cambridgeshire, I also visited Freiburg in Germany to show viewers how much more advanced families are there in their approach to green living. We visited the Vauban district, and I didn’t want to come home! All the houses are ultra energy efficient, 80% of householders have given up their cars in favour of walking, cycling and public transport (with the occasional help of vehicles from car clubs), and the whole place is the living embodiment of a green lifestyle. Totally gorgeous.
I also fitted in a quick visit to Dorset to talk to a local expert about the impacts of climate change of British wildlife. We spent the morning in a beautiful country garden, petting a hedgehog that was sadly struggling to find food having been lured out of hibernation too early by the unseasonably warm weather. A sober reminder of things to come if we don’t act fast.
I hope all those early mornings have helped at least a few viewers take some steps to living in a more eco-friendly way…
The swindle of ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’
Over the last few weeks I’ve heard a depressing number of people saying they’re not sure global warming exists. They all watched (or heard about) a programme called ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ on Channel 4 last month.
This argued that greenhouse gas emissions created by humans have little impact on the world’s temperature. Instead, it claimed that the changes in the earth’s climate are caused by a number of other factors. These ranged from arguments about cosmic rays intensifying cloud formation, to the idea that fluctuations in global temperature over the past century are normal variations, to the (wildly incorrect) suggestion that emissions from volcanoes dwarf those from humans.
I suppose the notion that climate change is nothing to do with us is appealing to some people – a perfect excuse to pollute without guilt. I was surprised that Channel 4 broadcast a programme that flies in the face of the vast majority of scientific evidence – particularly given the huge potential to turn people off the idea of living greener lifestyles.
Thankfully, there’s been an up swell of reaction in the media ever since, and a collection of responses from distinguished scientists compiled by the University of Cambridge Programme for Industry show that that programme’s arguments were shaky at best, and at worst deliberately and unfoundedly misleading.
The programme was so ‘riddled with distortions and errors’ (as the Independent put it) that a group of scientists have now got together to protest against its release on DVD. The compelling response from the scientific community and press is heartening, but I fear there are still a lot of people out there using this programme as an excuse not to think about climate change.
China speeds towards 'biggest greenhouse gas producer' title
Another worrying story that emerged this week reported that China could overtake the US as the globe’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases later this year, far earlier than expected.
It’s all too easy to think there’s no point in us trying to reduce our carbon footprint in the face of such huge international growth. But it’s important to keep the bigger picture in mind. Each Chinese person’s carbon footprint is only a third the size of ours in the UK. If we’re to expect China and other less developed countries to agree to limit their emissions we need to lead the way in demonstrating that lower carbon lifestyles are possible and (very importantly) are attractive. I think that aspirational examples will be far more effective than reams of new laws…
There are a number of initiatives around the world that are leading the way in exploring new ways of green living - including one of the world’s most advanced sustainable cities, which is being built at the moment in Dongtan, East China. We need to look to learn from each other’s initiatives, rather than squabbling over emissions league tables.
We’re in this together – M&S joins the call to turn to 30!
This week a group of eight UK companies launched 'We're in this Together', a campaign to provide consumers with products and services that make it easier to reduce CO2 emissions, aiming to cut each UK household’s CO2 emissions by a tonne (10%) over the next three years.
Offers available include half-price energy-saving light bulbs from Tesco, and a new ‘green credit card’ from Barclaycard. Sky is introducing a feature in set-top boxes that will send them into power-saving "deep standby" after 11pm if sitting idle, and Marks & Spencer is labelling nearly 75% of its clothing with the care instructions: ‘Think climate, wash at 30 degrees C’. Brilliant!
If every household takes up the "We're in this together" campaign initiatives over the next three years, we could cut out CO2 emissions by 25 million tonnes - more than the combined emissions of Scotland and Wales. I hope the initiative will encourage people use their purchasing power to help address climate change, and that other organisations will feel emboldened to find their own ways to add to the push to reduce emissions.
And finally…
With the media’s growing interest in the green agenda, I sometimes fear there’s a risk of important issues being loaded onto a farcical bandwagon. US singer Sheryl Crow’s attempt to do her bit for the green cause has misfired rather this week, with numerous papers gleefully reporting her plea that we help the environment by cutting down the number of sheets of lavatory paper we use. I’m sure she’s got the planet’s interests at heart, but can’t help thinking that she could be using her profile to dish out advice that has a higher impact!
