‘A new economic model, which replaces consumerism, and makes business and consumers accountable for their externalities,’ is the goal according to Sir Crispin Tickell as he galvinised attendees at the Prince of Wales’s May Day Summit on Climate Change (May 1). The fundamental mechanism needs to go, not just be tinkered with at the edges. Jonathan Porritt, until he was cut short by a technical failure, warned business ‘there will be losers from the changing landscape’ as business fails to adapt to the new regulatory and consumer landscape and berated those who claim whilst China builds a coal fired power station a day, action was pointless.
The Summit brought together many leading international businesses (and business leaders) from up and down the UK in a day designed to generate new ideas and bring about fresh commitments to bring about an environmentally sustainable society, even asking for personal pledges for action. The energy and enthusiasm were palpable. But will it go anywhere? As Prince Charles said, it has to: ‘Business as usual’ just isn’t an option. It was interesting to see, then, that last week the Financial Times dedicated three days to questioning the efficiency of carbon markets and the effectiveness of carbon markets versus carbon taxation (if you have a view: go to and vote on LRQA’s poll on the subject) and publishing ‘exposes’ on carbon cons (in particular the vaguaries of non verified off setting schemes). If the mechanism of the ‘carbon market’ doesn’t work and consumers grow confused and cynical about carbon claims, the two wheels driving carbon change fall off. Markets (especially fledgling ones) grow best when there is trust and transparency between buyers and sellers. Consumers buy from brands that really do ‘what they say on the tin’. It’s clear there’s a real need for clearer standards and better assurance. The voluntary market, in particular, needs to embrace indepedent verification. Without it, pledges made at Summit’s could well end up being pointless.
1. Egbert Bouwhuis | 4th November 2007 at 12:40 pm
If it is about verification, GPX offers a solution to solve the gap between the anonymous energy supplied and independant information about how, when and where the green energy was produced. With the technology of today’s connected communicating meters, information displays (in kitchen, on mobile phone or via internet) can read the unique source from a separate signal. An energy account connected to the consuming meters hold the infomation, just like a normal bank account. GPX cares for the guaranteed consumption of certified energy.