This first session of the 2008/09 programme was chaired by Fabian Society General Secretary Sunder Katwala and was attended by EPN members, along with environmental policy experts and leading business and NGO voices. 

Whilst government policy has focused on major pieces of legislation and macro initiatives on an international level, none of these policies can achieve their goals unless accompanied by significant changes in individual behaviour.  It was reported to the seminar that 40% of all carbon emissions are attributable to personal behaviour and so, for example, the ability of the Climate Change Bill or the Renewable Energy Strategy to create a low carbon economy is dependent on individuals facing up to their responsibilities.

The government, it was recognised, has not been successful in communicating this message and it must adopt a more consumer driven focus, with greater emphasis on - and budget for – large scale, public-facing campaigns such as “Act on CO2.” 

The “Act on CO2” campaign has had widespread advertising coverage and its online carbon calculator has garnered over a million unique visits over 12 months.  Data from the site is indicative that public attitudes are shifting: 50% have taken green action or are prepared to take green action following using the site, with 90% of users accepting climate change and 80% concerned about it.

It was suggested that this shows that people are willing to do more but want government to make it easier for them.  Government must take responsibility for “choice editing,” which requires intervention to force inefficient products off the market so consumers are not presented with harmful options.

Defra has become a campaigning department and participants noted that it must continue to develop this role.  The department recently published “A Framework for Pro-Environmental Behaviours,” which was described by one participant as the “bible” for a new sustainable agenda. 

Government policy on green behaviour has thus far had a narrow focus on areas such as encouraging recycling and low energy light bulb use.  These are now broadly accepted by the public and so other key areas are emerging, with government taking action in response to what one participant described as “public fury” over packaging.  Similarly, it was noted that food waste has recently moved up the agenda following prime ministerial engagement. 

The issue of tax was discussed and there was agreement over public hostility to green taxes and that the historic SERA message of taxing “bads” and rewarding “goods” has failed.  It was considered whether hypothecation might offer a means of making green taxes more politically palatable.  The standard Treasury objections were noted but it was thought that hypothecation of green taxes to fund renewable energy, for example, might offer the government a way around stiff popular opposition.  The consensus was that although the government does not currently consider hypothecation necessary, it is an area on which more work should be done, particularly by the Fabian Society.

The seminar considered current conflicting polling messages regarding the public’s view on green behaviour.  A recent Observer Ipsos/Mori poll painted a depressing picture from an environmental perspective and asserted that the public were sceptical about the cause of climate change.  But this specific poll was criticised by some participants as a distortion of the facts and heart was taken from a more recent Guardian poll which found that even in the current economic downturn, the public thinks priority should be given to environmental issues over economic ones.  This led onto discussion about how the current economic climate would affect environmental politics and green behaviour.  It was suggested that the rising costs of fuel and food may present an opportunity to encourage behaviour change - if environmental messages can chime with and reinforce economic ones. 

Some participants criticised the government for sending out mixed messages on the environment, leaving people confused and hindering the adoption of greener personal behaviour.  Ministers often talk up the importance of climate change but this is undermined by government policy on the expansion of Healthrow or road building programme, it was claimed.  However it was countered that the government’s responsibility to remain economically competitive internationally requires balancing a range of competing claims.  However the undoubted environmental cost of expanding Heathrow, for example, would be mitigated by the government’s successful drive to include aviation in the EU emissions trading scheme, requiring any increase in CO2 emissions generated by airport expansion to be met by cuts elsewhere. 

There was discussion about the extent of any political consensus over climate change, and the Conservatives were criticised for their recent announcement of a business-led recycling scheme built around vouchers.  This was perceived by some as an unsustainable strategy in the long-term that rewarded good behaviour without including the necessary disincentives.

One participant held that we need to have a grown up debate about population growth as this will continue to have a huge impact on carbon emissions.  There are numerous political barriers to having this discussion - such as immigration and race issues, the experiences of attempts to limit population in the developing world and human rights considerations – but these concerns must be balanced against the potential long-term death toll of catastrophic climate change.

Education clearly has a key role to play; and there is an opportunity for schools to inculcate green behaviour in the young.  It was remarked that children’s television currently borders on the indoctrination, such is its recycling evangelicalism.  But it remains to be seen whether strides made in the early years will be continued throughout the life cycle. 

One participant concluded that encouraging behaviour change is the very essence of politics.  For example, the campaigns to ban drink driving and smoking in pubs became successful when public opinion had sufficiently moved for government to tip it over the edge.  On certain aspects of the green agenda, such as recycling, government has made inroads and significant changes have been cemented.  However, the discussion recognised that there is a spectrum of behavioural change, with recycling at the soft end and it is clear that we are still a long way from achieving the individual behaviour changes further along the spectrum – such as regular use of flights - that a low carbon economy will require. 

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