accentuate the positive

When it comes to popular culture and climate change, it emerged clearly from today's debate in Cornwall, the key idea is to break the subject of climate change down into its constituent elements. Otherwise it's too big, too divisive, and doesn't give people any sense of personal agency.

This closely echoed Mike Hulme's point last year that climate change was a Rubik cube that needed to be disassembled. Too much had become caught up in it.

The contributors at the discussion were Tim Smit, founder of the Eden Project, the comedian Marcus Brigstocke, Joe Smith, senior lecturer in Geography at the OU, and Vicky Long, arts producer, and formerly project director at Cape Farewell. The discussion was chaired by Quentin Cooper, presenter of Radio 4’s Material World.

The best way forward was to get stuck into projects you believe in, make them work, and lead by example. Tim Smit gave the example of Rebecca Hoskings and the successful campaign to ban plastic bags in Modbury, South Devon.

The discussion was recorded, appropriately enough, in a biomeme at the Eden Project.
Photo: copyright Pam Brophy, Creative commons