Serious Change Blog

Here is one picture, from David MacKay, that shows why public support is needed for better energy technology.

http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/withouthotair/c18/page_109.shtml

There is a public consultationon on Carbon Capture and Storage going on now until 9th September 2009.

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/clean_coal/clean_coal.aspx

Drop me an email if you would like to be part of it with other Serious Change people.

A few months ago, our friend, Francis Davey gave a speech where he explained the aim of Serious Change is to:

 

“Change the hearts and minds of people by telling the story of zero carbon Britain and show that this is desirable and getting there will be satisfying.”

 

Changing hearts and minds means you have to understand people’s values and what they care about.

 

So let us consider people who care about their family, their home, their job and their bills. They reasonably don’t want disruption to their life unless it is really worth it, for the good of their family, their home, their job or their bills.

 

Concerns about the science and morality of the climate changing or the technology of alternatives to fossil fuel are, at best, secondary, as these issues are not as clear or immediate as family, home, job and bills.

 

Well the Daily Mail, and the Tax Payer’s Alliance (TPA) are already talking to these people. They are telling a story of a government that is, without agreement, and therefore undemocratically, taking money from British families to invest in Green technology.

 

Here is one story from the TPA:

 

“14% of the average domestic electricity bill is the result of ineffective Government climate change policies that provide massive subsidies to the owners of wind farms but do little to reduce emissions”.

 

http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/bettergovernment/energy/

 

Here is a story from the Daily Mail:

 

“Tough new targets on tackling climate change will cost every household in Britain at least £600 a year, push more than a million people into poverty and send fuel bills soaring, experts warned today.”

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1172626/BUDGET-2009-Government-spend-1billion-green-initiatives.html?ITO=1490

 

But the TPA and Daily Mail stories aren’t being told fairly.

 

People are not told how much of their money is going to oil and gas suppliers in tax breaks and subsidies. They are not told how much extra they are paying in tax or heating and car related bills because of these subsidies and tax breaks. The government support to oil and gas companies is a complex set of data to unpick, but with freedom of information requests and thoughtful investigation, it can be done.  

 

It seems to me that telling this story is the right thing to do, regardless of any environmental concerns. But as I am interested in a fair analysis of the details of changing Britain’s energy system, it is also the first step in that investigation.    

 

You can listen to the full Francis Davey speech here:

 

http://cloud.seriouschange.org.uk/SeriousChangeOverview.mp3