Copenhagen: real change is closer to home

By Daniel Zeichner

Acres of newsprint – and the digital equivalent – will be used in the coming days as commentators argue over the outcomes from Copenhagen. Politicians and NGOs are likely to take up largely predictable positions. Some parts of a weary public will take notice, but for most, Christmas will seem like a more pressing priority.

Why am I so sure? Because as a candidate in what could turn out to be one of the key contests in the General Election, I’m talking to hundreds of people every week. And even in Cambridge, where there have been many public meetings and discussions about Copenhagen in recent weeks, the interest is limited to a relatively small group. For me, the real challenge is to think about the vast majority who are not engaged. How do we go about making it attractive for people to make the kind of changes in their everyday lives which will make the difference that any Copenhagen targets will demand?

So it’s much closer to home and will require simple changes, like making it more attractive to get the bus than to take the car. Labour investment and the concessionary fares scheme are making a big difference, but outside London the bus too often merely remains the option for those with no other choice. Measures promoted by Labour have already turned around the long-term decline in bus usage in some areas. But we need to push a lot harder still. While London bus passengers get on and off the bus quickly using smart-cards, in most cities we still stand in a queue waiting for someone to find the right change. Meanwhile, even the cleanest modern bus continues to pollute, and slower buses clog up the system.

So we need swift implementation of new technology. And why not an application on every mobile phone in future telling you when the next bus is coming along? Like smart meters in the home, people will make better choices when they have better information. Part of the argument, of course, is about who pays – but with bus companies and energy companies shy to reveal their true profitability, we should be demanding more from them.

Copenhagen will set the framework – but for progress on the ground, the responsibility is on politicians to make it is easy as possible for our fellow citizens to make the right decisions.