A shameful problem

I WAS recently asked whether I am ashamed that I can afford to decarbonise my lifestyle whereas others can’t put food on the table.

It is true that our country is the second most unequal western country after the US, and we do indeed have a shameful problem of mass poverty.

We are certainly much more unequal than other larger economies in the European Union. In my view this is a catastrophe, especially for British people who can’t afford to eat well.

Most of us will remember that Prime minster David Cameron decided we should “cut the green c**p”.

This tragic policy mistake meant that millions of poorer Britons did not install proper insulation which by now which would have saved billions of pounds.

Overall, very sadly, in the UK we continue to subsidise the old fossil fuel industries, and we do not have a financial regime that is remotely adequate to incentivise a rapid green transition.

Our present Prime Minister has signalled that he is more interested in attracting votes from people worried about seven bins.

Sixteen years ago, the Stern Report pointed out that climate change will ultimately cost economies including ours between 5% and 20% of our potential national wealth production on a continuing basis if we do nothing.

To prevent this disaster, Stern calculated that we need to invest 2% of the same annual wealth creation on prevention and conversion away from carbon, which of course creates jobs and is never wasted.

We have a lot of catching up to do. Meanwhile, I judge that I have a responsibility to do what I can personally to decarbonise my life, but really the question is what do we contribute as a country, alongside others, about the evils of poverty and our addiction to fossil fuels?

I hope that acting collectively as a society we can agree to make some wise decisions about all this together.

Dr Andrew Blewett