The Stern Report states that we are witnessing the biggest market failure ever -and the consequences are climate change. It would be hard to argue with this. The report contains many suggestions and most are dependent on someone -business or government mostly doing something; rather than just talking. Whether this will happen or not depends on how sever climate change becomes (and the short-term impacts) and particularly on public opinion.
Public opinion does seem to be, finally, changing. After a recent conference on Supply Chain, I wonder if there are some lessons that could be learned from what has been going on there in the last 10-15 years or so, since public opinion started to become vocal through NGOs (though how much the average public really cared might still be debatable). The labour conditions is actually not a case of market failure: but it is a case of how a non-financial/tangible/measurable matter became a more important driver than economics.. In climate change we cannot wait until we run out of cheap coal before we find alternatives!
It is interesting how, I believe, average people still do not care much about poor labour conditions (often workers do have a choice of going back to the countryside if they wanted to, for lower wages and more poverty) or even about starving people in Africa -since that still persists even though it could be easily solved if there was the individual will. Instead changes come about through a few passionate people and the systems they use to stimulate change: specifically the International NGO and the media -both are leading the campaigns about climate change too. Good job they exist; good job they are doing something. Ironically various Sustainable Development Communication email lists are buzzing with the problem of people being confused with so many messages, and none of them seemingly working. It seems that the more popular an idea becomes, the more competition there is in the arena, the worse a problem becomes the harder it is to mobilise people with a simple message, simple solution, simple actions.
There have been lists around for years about how we could save water or energy, yet toilets still use up way too much water in a single flush than they need, and shops still sell inefficient light bulbs. The simple message is that we need more individuals who are going to make brave decisions: either for ethical reasons or because they can spot a market opportunity. Climate Change surely offers both as well -the World just needs more individuals to make the different, be different, and then they (and the World) can reap the benefits.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
This is a great post thank you for it, it is very uplifting. To try to add to what you have done, if I may, my sense is that it is not that public opinion has changed, rather it is that the weight of scientific evidence is such that what economists and businessmen treated as a free-lunch (climate, the environment) has suddenly become very expensive. The exact expense you allude to. One way forward is to perhaps try to afford 'public goods' (fresh air, clean water, the environment) the same status we offer 'private goods' (any goods and services). I have done some modest work in this area (www.kevin.morrell.org.uk) and would be happy to continue this discussion if you feel it of interest. Thanks once again for an elegant statement of the issues.
Post a Comment