How do we shift behaviors to tackle climate change?

Since the Stern Report was realised on Monday, there has been a lot of talk about tackling climate change. It feels as if the masses have finally reached a consensus and are saying, ‘Right it’s official, so what do we do now?’.

I first heard about climate change in 1987 when it was treated as more of a scientific phenomenon than a social problem. Despite remembering that it was widely reported that if we didn’t cut emissions and CFCs then the planet would heat up and cause a few problems, here we are 20 years later and as far as I can see not much has changed. OK, we’ve got rid of CFCs that was quite a simple problem to tackle in comparison to changing the planet’s energy consumption habits.

So what now? How do we tackle this huge problem? Who’s responsibility is it? Governments? Action groups? Businesses? Who should set the example? There needs to be a huge attitudinal shift in people’s perceptions of climate change because despite all the publicity about climate change, saving the planet is still seen as ‘lefty’ and anti-corporate.

To date, most environmentally-based government campaigns have had an ominous tone to them that positions climate change as a global disease; a dark force that’s haunting us, making us seem like the innocent victims and alleviating some of the responsibility. There is something very wrong with these tactics. Scare mongering campaigns are not effective at raising awareness; they just cause confusion.

So what other methods can initiate mass behavioural shifts? Does saving the planet need to be aspirational? Has it got to be sexy? Maybe the money making opportunities of climate change need to be espoused? According to Shell, a £30bn market will be created through green products and services over the next decade. Quite an incentive.

Or maybe the internet is the solution? Can people be mobilised through a shared experience? A number of pressure groups got together to make the 4th of November a day of action in London. Support for this event has been created via email. A small network called Workface are instigating Blackout London, ‘… the largest demonstration of People Power that London has ever seen on Saturday 4th November 2006, by turning off all your lights, and switching off all your non-essential electrical equipment at Sunset.’

Another organisation is using the 4th of November as a day of protest through a site called Come Off It, which is owned by Dave Hampton, AKA, ‘The Carbon Coach’. The Come Off It site requests that you do a very similar thing to what Workface are proposing but with the added twist of;

‘First, get at least one energy efficient light bulb and be ready to plug it in on Saturday 4 November. If you’re really keen (and smart), replace every bulb in your house with an energy efficient one.’

These ideas have their worth, but to look at the sites, there seems to be a lack of convergence. Wouldn’t it be great if they came together to stage one big demonstration that communicates a coherent message about something as important as this? I think so, but what do you think?

The lack of cohesion between these well-intentioned different groups highlights an important void, i.e. that no one has succeeded in identifying a strategy that will succeed in inspiring the masses into changing their lifestyles. So I want to hear your comments. I think we need to have a blog-based brainstorm to generate ideas about how to tackle this challenging issue and then I can report back on what we think here at Sense and what you think. So there’s some food for thought.

Contributed by Raj Panjwani