Climate Change Action Who and How

There are an abundance of discussions going on about who drives change in behaviour patterns regarding climate change. There seem to be four schools of thought:
1) Government via regulation. Anne-Marie’s post touched on this. Defra have openly responded to the call for more transparent goverment policy on climate change initiatives. The general consensus is that governments need to provide a clear, long-term set of guidelines on carbon emissions that businesses and consumers can understand and be measured against. Equally as important is that all governments must work together, as proven by the Kyoto Protocol. This is not to say that the Kyoto Protocol has been ineffective, as many signatory nations have worked tirelessly to ensure that the measures put in place are carried out. But imagine, the power of all governments sharing a verifiable commitment to addressing climate change and setting measurable targets for reductions with significant penalties to non-compliers
2) Businesses via greener products and greener marketing campaigns. Renault have been a leader in this area, with their Eco2 campaign and products. Renault not only dedicated a global ad campaign to climate change issues, they set clear, measurable targets for their products and factories. Others, such as Triodos Bank base their entire business around being ethical and sustainable. Businesses play a crucial role in informing and educating the consumer on climate change issues. Clearly, they have the power to change consumer behaviour. Business and governments also have the option of “choice editing” at their disposal. Examples of effective choice editing have been the Australian government removing all non energy efficient lightbulbs from the market and The Co-op’s pulling off its’ shelves of inefficient light bulbs and domestic kitchen appliances. Choice editing by business, when combined with an informative marketing campaign, can lead to increased customer loyalty, as the consumer sees that business is willing to take a stand for the planet.
3) Consumers via purchasing habits and consumer groups. The “bottom up” approach is more relevant than ever due to the blogosphere, with 18,076 blogs containing the term climate change and growing! The power in these numbers combined with the influence of the some key blogs has big brands worried about their global image and reputation. Consumer groups are publishing the green credentials of brands and openly questioning their commitment to climate change. Many brands have dedicated staff responding to blogs and engaging with the online audience.Additionally, consumers, as quoted in recent research have expressed a willingness to pay more for products that are ethically produced as well as “green”. 70% of consumers also said that they wanted corporate green claims to be verified, showing that as consumers become better educated on climate change issues, their expectations of businesses actions are growing
4) Media The media have a direct effect on all of the above. The US government has been deluged with criticism for not signing the Kyoto Protocol, both in the US media as well as internationally.Business are all too aware of the danger of being caught out on their green strategies, actions and claims.Consumers are not immune to media pressure and influence, with recent articles focusing on the role of the individual in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
The combination of these four groups and their influence is ensuring that climate change remains on the front pages of newspapers, remains a key topic in boardrooms (with over 65% of the world’s top 500 brands now having a someone responsible for climate change strategy at the board level), is a permanent discussion topic among the general public as well as a key topic that every politician has to address.Only through clear strategies that are informative and transparent to both business and consumers, backed by full government support and pressure, communicated by all types of media can there be a concerted global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses having systems to measure data in place that are credible and verifiable will lead to the consumer trust that will change their buying habits.Can any of us afford to wait any longer?