The Informed Executive
When a little
joined-up thinking
would do no harm
The chances are that you missed a news item recently. DECC is hard at work pushing the carbon reduction line.
According to npower’s annual Business Energy Index (nBEI), Every week or so, it dips into the Whitehall policy tub and
which tracks business opinion on energy use and carbon draws out another initiative for a second or third airing.
emissions, more than eight out of ten businesses believe There must be a few more on the horizon: budget commit-
that government targets to reduce CO
2
emissions are un- ments would suggest that we may well find a new round
realistic. of initiatives on their way to help business and the public
In the same survey, which polled 200 SMEs with signifi- sector take further steps to reduce carbon.
cant energy usage and 100 major energy users in January Down the road at BERR, we find Ministers moving the
2009, an amazing 97% said they were more concerned deckchairs of business policy around as the number of
with reducing costs than cutting carbon emissions. While sinking companies increases; re-packaging services for
the sample size is very small, the survey was undertaken the business community one week and introducing guar-
by a highly reputable independent research company, so antee schemes the next. And launching support for the
we have few grounds for doubting the conclusions under- ailing motor car industry through a scheme that is riddled
lying the data they produced. with potholes.
Whether the UK can reduce its carbon emissions by
80% before the year 2050 must remain a matter of opin- Behind the political grandstanding of a government which
ion: whether the interim figure of a 20% cut by 2020 can knows that its days are numbered, DECC and BERR are
even be achieved is of much more immediate concern, and each taking steps which they believe will achieve their
the outcome will be determined by a number of factors, (own) objectives. There is scant reference to the financial
including the quality of the investment incentives offered by benefits that even the smallest business can achieve if it
the UK government to the renewable energy sector. takes steps to reduce CO
2
emissions.
Saving carbon emissions does not have to involve a
A far greater concern than the declared level of scepti- massive investment which businesses incorrectly believe
cism is that so few executives appear to understand that that they cannot afford. It can often involve simple tech-
cutting carbon emissions puts money on the bottom line. niques such as monitoring energy consumption, seeing
Has the government not told the business community that where waste is occurring and taking simple steps to cor-
users could reduce their carbon footprint and save money rect the problem and save money in the process.
at the same time?
If it has gone down that route, then it has done so in a If Whitehall were to present a co-ordinated message, link-
typically confusing way so that the ‘message’ has not got ing carbon savings inextricably to financial savings, busi-
through clearly to the people it most affects. What we are ness would see a clearer way ahead and treat carbon
experiencing is another example of two strands of think- reduction as a financial incentive rather than an invest-
ing which have not been joined up in the middle. ment to be delegated to the back burner.
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