My 'Big Ask' question

[oobers]

I have been organising a public meeting on Climate Change as part of Friends of the Earth 'Big Ask' campaign. It will be this Thursday May 25th in Camberley (should any of you wish to come along ) We have a good panel, including Alan Whitehead MP (a climate and energy good guy by all accounts), Michael Gove MP (the local Tory), Keith Taylor - one of the principal speakers for the Green Party, a National FoE person and a couple of local councillors.

The event is being recorded by BBC Southern Counties for broadcast at a later date. A good opportunity for awareness raising on both CC and energy methinks.

I figure since I have put all the effort in, I should get a good shot at them! So, I have composed a question. (I am not so good at off the cuff) It is not very snappy and I would welcome any suggestions as to how to make it short and to the point. I want to keep to this theme of 'organised economic slowdown' as part of a policy to ensure our well being through avoiding the worst symptoms of CC and PO.

In 1999, Tony Blair told us "Success has been measured by economic growth - GDP - alone?Delivering the best possible quality of life for us all means more than concentrating solely on economic growth.?

Seven years later, in a speech on Monday, David Cameron dusted off and sexed up the same idea ?it's time we focused not just on GDP, but on GWB - General Well-Being." he said.

I agree. Our relentless pursuit of economic growth is the main reason that greenhouse gas emissions rise and our energy supplies teeter on the edge of terminal decline. No country has ever grown its economy and at the same time used less energy.

So my question is, when are you politicians going to turn warm words into policy ? a policy that engineers a gradual economic slow down, a move away from globalisation and support for sustainable, local trade and employment that really will ensure well being for generations to come?

I believe we either choose a steady, safe path down from the top of the mountain, or climate change and peak oil will throw us off the cliff.

[snow hope]

I love the last sentence (in the quote bit). Very apt, just a bit late unfortunately me thinks....

[oobers]

Well, I didn't get to ask my question anyway. The chair person, a BBC local radio presenter told the audience that the organiser had had his hand up all evening but that priority must be given to the audience... Charming!

However, hats off to Keith Taylor from the Green Party. I had specifically asked if he might work peak oil into his talk and he did. Maybe if you listen to the edited highlights on BBC Southern Counties tomorrow, you will hear the words 'Peak Oil' uttered on a BBC radio breakfast show. Will that be a first? Keith drilled home the need for an abandonment of our current economic system and a lowering of our consumer expectations - a low carbon economy where more people will be employed in useful jobs; growing food, mending, recycling. Refreshing after a barrage of business as usual politics from the rest of the panel - you know - carbon reduction targets, technological advances, green growth.

40 people turned out. Pathetic. I publicised that meeting like my life depended on it and only 40 (mainly already convinced) people bothered to attend. If only a dose of the good bits over corn flakes tomorrow would do some good. If only.

[Pippa]

So many people have their heads in the sand. It beats me and frightens me at the same time. You've done a great thing organising an event to get the message out. The feelings you put across in the message above I empathise with 100%.

I can't even get my mother to grasp 1% of whats happening now, as far as she is concerned where are the experts on this (yes, yes I know where they are) - like so much of the public she will believe it when she reads it in the papers and hears it from the government - even though she trusts neither of them! I think my mum is a pretty good representation of the general public.