August 2007
Are You An 'Armchair Ecologist'?
How much of an impact is the green message having on the British public? According to a recent survey, not as much as you might expect. Despite the growing number of companies advertising their green credentials, and concern over the link between recent flooding and global warming, it appears that the UK is a nation of "armchair ecologists".
Chris Evans, Hyder Consulting's Head of Environmental Solutions said: "This research demonstrates that while most of us are concerned about the environment, far more needs to be done to encourage people to take responsibility for reducing their personal carbon footprint."
Commonly implemented improvements made by the British public include the use of energy-saving light bulbs, turning off lights and electrical appliances when they are not in use, and recycling domestic waste. However this is the limit of many people’s environmental efforts.
Despite 86% of people saying they worry about the environment in the survey, fewer than 50% said they are prepared to make more lifestyle changes such as reducing domestic water usage while only one in four people claim to be choosing public transport over their car.
A mere 39% have replaced older domestic appliances with more energy efficiency ones and 37% have investigated making improvements to their home insulation. Although 27% of respondents purchase environmentally friendly products wherever possible, fewer than a quarter have changed shopping habits to favour local stores and suppliers.
Such responses suggest that steps need to be taken to encourage individuals to take their environmental actions further. After all is it any wonder that only 8% of people surveyed have switched to a green energy tariff from a traditional one when it is more costly to do so?
Evans opines that "while on one level it is encouraging to see people fitting energy-saving light bulbs and recycling domestic waste, the reality is this is just the tip of the iceberg. If we are to make the energy savings necessary to achieve the environmental targets set out in the Kyoto protocol then we all need to do far more to conserve resources and reduce our carbon footprints."
Enabling individuals to make green choices that will not hit them in the pocket, would appear to be the most likely route to galvanise them into further action. Nonetheless, the ultimate impetus must come from individuals from the ground up.
"To achieve this we are going to have to make more lifestyle changes, such as reducing our use of cars, finding ways to be more water efficient and changing our attitudes to the food we buy so that we favour more seasonal and locally produced and sourced ingredients. While much has been achieved so far, our research demonstrates that we still have a considerable way to go."
In a separate survey by market research agency, BMRB and BPRI, 29% of UK adults said they would support additional green taxes; however 75% claimed they would support green taxes that were offset by a reduction in other taxes.
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