challenge to government
EAC recognised significant improvements in carbon footprint of government vehicles, but
concluded that reductions in energy use in buildings would not meet targets set for 2010-11
Whether an organisation that is subject the Environmental Audit Committee CRC standards. So while the objective
to the CRC regime receives a bonus pay- (EAC) of the House of Commons to reach is perfectly valid, they will have failed
ment or pays a penalty on the cost of its the same conclusion for the notion to because they did not attach a suffi-
purchased carbon allowances depends attract the attention of mainstream me- ciently high priority for appropriate ac-
only in part on its ability to reduce emis- dia. tion to be taken.”
sions: the size of that variable financial Chaired by Tim Yeo MP, the EAC We put it to Mr Yeo that one of the bars
element will also be determined by the warned in a report published in August to effective carbon reduction is the silo-
relative performance of the other 5500 2009 that the government is not on track like structure of government depart-
players in the scheme. to meet targets for cutting emissions. As ments: a sustainability team charged
Since the bonuses and deductions will a result, it concluded that the private with meeting the CO
work on a ‘zero sum’ basis, the penalties sector would be the direct beneficiary
2
targets usually re-
ports to senior civil servants on the policy
suffered by the less responsive partici- of publicly funded largesse. or operations front, while the energy
pants will be distributed to those who In 23 pages of analysis – a short report managers have a line of command up to
have taken the steps which push them by Commons Committee standards – the the building services director. “That is
up into the top half of the league table. EAC accepted that there had been sig- almost certainly true in a number of in-
The fact that government departments nificant improvements in areas such as stances, but it is not wise to generalise
have so far failed to take sufficient ac- the carbon footprint of government from that argument. There is evidence
tion to improve their carbon emissions vehicles, though reductions in energy us- that where there is a clear commitment
would mean that most will find them- age in buildings would fail to meet the from those at the top of a department –
selves in the lower half of the table. And targets set for 2010-11. whether ministers or civil servants – its
it would follow that the penalties paid Does the problem lie in the inability culture changes and becomes more re-
by the government, which could amount (or unwillingness) of government depart- ceptive.”
to as much as £1.20 per tonne in the first ments to take affirmative action, or is
full year of the scheme (and twice that the problem more fundamental in that
amount in the second), would be passed the CRC might not be fit for purpose in
Culture has to change
on to those organisations in the upper the context of central government? The idea of changing a culture within a
half of the table. In effect, central gov- Tim Yeo accepts the case for a Car- department is well illustrated by the re-
ernment would be subsidising large pri- bon Reduction Commitment and its ap- cent decision of DECC to invite tenders
vate sector businesses which had shown plication across both public and private for energy display monitors to be in-
greater initiative in reducing carbon con- sectors. “It is a sensible policy which stalled at key points in its Whitehall
sumption. will influence behaviour in the right di- Place headquarters.
rection. The shortfall in CO
2
reduction is Software linked to energy sensors
Government not on track
the direct result of departments failing throughout the building will display en-
to adjust to the low carbon business ergy usage in real-time to make staff and
That analysis has been accepted amongst model and making sound infrastructure visitors aware of the energy being con-
the energy cognoscenti since the workings choices. sumed right across the building.
of a capped carbon consumption scheme “Some departments will struggle and No less important is that the data
were first mooted two years ago. It took be unable to come anywhere near the stream being used to power the display
The Informed Executive
25
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