The UK National Ecosystem Assessment is not going to disappoint. I promise you. But you'll have to wait a little longer - 'til the launch on Thursday 2 June - to get the full picture.
Bob Watson - Defra's Chief Scientist - posed a fascinatig question today. Can you think of any major enviromental problem that has been solved by behviour change alone without relying on incentives and/or regulation?
I can't.
It's an important question. And if the answer is no, then this has consequences for future government policy - for ending peat use in horticulture, for lead in ammunition, for recovering farmland birds, for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport, and for... well, the Big Society!
I think you are abosultely right on this one. The carrot and stick approach can only be the way forward. I know the government don't like regulation but it does work in environmental issues. It is important though to reward those who do take positive action and that costs money.
Regulation and cost! - that might cause the government a bit of soul searching.
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