Lights out ... not enough of us are switching off to save energy. Photograph: Linda Nylind
Viewers watching tonight's Coronation Street may think twice about popping out to put the kettle on during the ad break if they see the beginning of the new government campaign to persuade us to cut our CO2 emissions. In TV ads starting this evening, we will be encouraged to make small changes to reduce our impact on the planet. The focus will be on switching to low-energy light bulbs; unplugging electronic chargers; using less hot water and rethinking our transport choices.
It sounds like stuff we should already know - it is certainly stuff we have been told before. But according to research by Defra, the message still isn't getting through. It recently found that although 66% of people said they were taking action to limit climate change, just 43% mentioned reducing energy use as a way they could reduce their carbon footprint.
Perhaps the other 23% were already living fully solar-powered lifestyles; perhaps there are a lot of people out there who, although well-meaning, don't understand exactly how their actions lead to emissions. Would better education about how and where our energy comes from enable them to make better decisions - or is the government right to stick to messages about turning the lights out?
