The Curmudgeon

YOU'LL COME FOR THE CURSES. YOU'LL STAY FOR THE MUDGEONRY.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Acting Locally, Talking Globally

The Vicar of Downing Street's latest sermon in the Independent newspaper is designed to put us all right on climate change. Faced with the fact that Britain's carbon emissions have gone up rather than down during his tenure and despite considerable rhetoric, Tony recycles the standard excuse from post-Saddam Iraq; namely that if it weren't for Tony and his chums things would have been much worse: "emissions would have gone up by 8 per cent if it were not for the actions we have taken under our climate change programme."

But, even for Tony, his excuse "is no excuse." The Government is determined to "do all it can" to meet its target for 2010. But the Government cannot do all it can alone. "We need businesses and everybody, as consumers and passengers and drivers, to help achieve it too." I am not altogether sure what Tony means by this. If the Government changes the law to cut carbon emissions, then businesses, consumers, passengers and even drivers will fall into line. If not, things will continue as they are. I imagine things will continue as they are.

Tony next addresses an injustice. "Greenpeace have claimed that I have instructed airports to expand despite aviation being a major contributor to climate change." This is nonsense. Tony does not give instructions to airports. "Airport companies want to expand to meet the increasing demand from people to travel." It's a market thing. It would be unethical, immoral, impracticable, unwise and very naughty indeed if Tony were to intervene in any way whatever. "Globalisation is a result of the choices of individuals. Our responsibility is to try to reduce the downsides." If individuals choose to expand airports, there is nothing Tony or his chums can do about it. Tony believes that "emissions trading is the best way" because it "sets an absolute cap on emissions and encourages innovation". Capping emissions, encouraging innovation; a winning slogan if ever I saw one.

Encouraging innovation is something Tony sets a good deal of store by. The G8, under Tony's inspirational presidency, agreed to ensure that new, emission-reducing technologies shall be "brought out of the lab and put to use as soon as possible". I bet Greenpeace never thought of that. The US has announced "incentives for alternative fuel vehicles over the next 10 years" to the tune of slightly less than the cost of shaking and baking people in the Middle East. At the meeting in Montreal, which starts in ten days' time, Tony and his chums will begin "the formal discussion on how we can work together beyond 2012". This is certainly encouraging.

Those sour apples at Greenpeace have also claimed that Tony and his chums have failed to stop the growth in emissions from traffic. Tony is hurt: "we have just announced the renewable transport fuels obligation, which will mean that 5 per cent of petrol and diesel will be made from bio-fuels." A whole five per cent, just announced! Assuming the announcement is translated into action, "This will cut a million tons of carbon per annum from road transport emissions by 2010." In other words, since we are not yet in 2010, Tony and his chums have failed to stop the growth in emissions from traffic. This is called "acting locally."

But it is not enough to act locally, no matter how many businesses, passengers, drivers and consumers you inspire. We also need to think globally. Acting locally, thinking globally; a winning slogan if ever I saw one. "I could talk about nothing but the Kyoto protocol," Tony writes. "That way, maybe people would believe that I am still committed to it." Tony's ad-man faith in his powers of persuasion has never been more touching. Kyoto obliges him to cut carbon emissions; carbon emissions have risen on his watch; yet people don't believe he is committed to Kyoto. He could rectify this gross injustice by talking about nothing but Kyoto, but he chooses instead to enlighten us yet further about the realities of the world.

Even if all countries, including the world's largest polluter to whom Tony is helper and handmaiden, signed up to Kyoto and met their targets, "this would only stabilise emissions - not cut them, which we need to." I bet Greenpeace never thought of that. In order to cut emissions, we need to "agree internationally binding targets which all can sign up to" in good conscience and without slowing down their economic development. India, China and the US need this economic development so that they can "lift two billion people out of desperate poverty." So that's why the Americans refused to sign up to Kyoto - it wasn't enough to lift two billion people out of desperate poverty. This is certainly encouraging.

"We are acting," Tony declaims, "to cut carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. We will cut our emissions by 2012 by almost twice our Kyoto targets. And we have set an ambitious long-term target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent by 2050." Tony says it, so it must be true.

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