Britons Face Hurdles in Push for Greener Future
Date: 17-Nov-06
Country: UK
Author: Matthew Jones
Concern about the environment has gone mainstream with organisations as diverse as the Women's Institute and Surfers Against Sewage sharing a common, eco-friendly agenda.
On Nov.4, over 20,000 people converged on London's Trafalgar Square in a rally to highlight the threats posed by climate change.
A day later, activists from Plane Stupid -- a direct action group targeting short-haul flights -- shut down the London offices of easyGroup, owners of low-cost airline easyJet.
But behind the rhetoric and gestures lies a contradiction: while many Britons ascribe to a vague commitment of wanting to "do their bit for the environment," it often amounts to no more than recycling the daily newspaper.
If actions speak louder than words, soaring sales of the most polluting 4X4 off-roaders in one of the most urbanised countries in the world and the unabated growth of cheap airline flights speak volumes.
It appears many Britons are green right up to the time it comes to book the next holiday or buy a new car.
"People are aware of things they could and should do to help protect the planet, but they also recognise their current practices often don't match their aspirations," said Friends of the Earth's Mike Childs.
A poll this month in the Times newspaper revealed a reality gap when it came to green issues.
While 76 percent of Britons said they recycled everything they could, the fact is only 22.5 percent of Britain's domestic waste is recycled -- a third of that achieved in the Netherlands for example.
Fear of not appearing "green enough" also prompted 65 percent of those questioned to claim they bought only energy-saving bulbs, despite sales figures showing less than 20 percent of light bulbs sold each year are energy-saving.
Childs said the poll, along with others, was indicative of people's opinions rather than their actual actions.
He said people's green intentions often struggled in the face of even relatively minor inconveniences.
"People want to do the right thing, but if it is hard for them, they don't".
Levels of domestic waste recycling tend to be very low until local authorities provide recycling services on their doorsteps.
Childs said the government needs to do more in terms of encouraging people and industry to adopt more eco-friendly practices and of punishing those that do not.
"A carrot and stick approach is clearly needed. Even for the most committed environmentalist it can be difficult to live in a green way," he said.
GREEN GOVERNMENT?
Last month, Prime Minister Tony Blair called for urgent action on climate change after the hard-hitting, government-commissioned Stern report. The respected economist painted an apocalyptic picture of the monetary cost and environmental fallout from global warming.
While environmentalists have praised Blair for talking about green issues, there has been criticism about the government's road-building schemes and airport expansion plans.
"We are seeing more and more people flying out of the country on cheap flights. That is just not sustainable," said Richard George of Plane Stupid.
"There needs to be a radical overhaul of transport policy, not just aviation but also the rail networks," he added.
He said many people liked to feel they were doing their bit for the environment by saving their plastic shopping bags and the like, but these gestures were completely negated if people didn't also take tough decisions about travel.
"We are not advocating that people don't travel, we recognise people need to get around, but we want that travel to be the most environmentally sustainable."
A study last month showed the government must curb the huge expansion in air travel or risk overshooting its self-imposed target of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent by 2050.
Oxford University's Environment Change Institute said the government could not carry on supporting airport