The Guardian reported today on the results of an expert focus group assembled by the UK’s Environment Agency. The panel was charged with coming up with a prioritized list of things we need to do to avoid. This list contains suggestions for government, companies, councils, religious leaders, and scientists, as well as actions individuals can take.
The top 20: What the panel prescribes
- Dramatically improve the energy efficiency of electrical goods
- Religious leaders to make the environment a priority for their followers
- Encourage the widespread use of solar power throughout the world
- Secure a meaningful post-Kyoto treaty on reducing the emissions that contribute to global warming
- Encourage households to generate much more of their own power
- Introduce tax incentives to “buy green”
- Tackle the rapid growth in aviation emissions
- Wean ourselves off dependency on petroleum
- Encourage individuals to buy less non-essential “stuff “
- Dramatically improve public transport
- Aim for a “zero waste” culture
- Install “smart energy” meters in all homes
- Introduce a measure of economic success that includes the environment
- Fully harness Britain’s huge potential for generating renewable energy
- Seek alternative, less damaging sources for biofuels
- Bury carbon dioxide from power stations underground
- Encourage hydrogen fuel cell technology in cars
- Implement government policies to control global population growth
- Reach international agreement on preserving rainforests
- Create better incentives to improve energy efficiency in the home
Columnist Leo Hickman critiqued the full list, noting omissions of nuclear energy and meat consumption.
What is interesting about this Top 20 list is how it breaks down into categories of action. Technology and implementation is key to items 1, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15 and 16. Politics is central to items 4, 6, 13, 18 and 19. The remainder are tied to behavioral changes that must be incentivized or evangelized. More importantly, three of the top five suggestions fall into this last category: (2) Religious leaders to make the environment a priority for their followers; (3) Encourage the widespread use of solar power throughout the world; and (5) Encourage households to generate much more of their own power.
Design plays a huge role in this catastrophe aversion plan. Technological improvements are largely the work of engineers, and legislative mandates belong to the realm of the elected official and lobbyists. Both are influenced, however, by the needs and behaviors exhibited by people using the devices and systems designers create. Every one of the priority items are areas awaiting deep inquiry by designers.
