Can we save the world? A guest’s eye view of the event

Given that you are reading this website, you probably already believe four things. Firstly, that Climate Change is real. Secondly, that it is largely being driven by human activity. Thirdly, that it is an immediate threat to the lives of our children (if not ourselves). And, finally, that “something must be done”.

But you are unusual. Most have gratefully consumed an unhealthy diet of misinformation: accepting the truth, and its attendant burden of responsibility and action, is far less palatable. No wonder, then, that little more than 10% of the UK adult population see climate change as a real threat which demands any level of personal change in behaviour.

What, then, is the way forward? As individuals, we are trying to make the ‘small changes’- we use low energy bulbs and switch them off when we can; we have changed our electricity suppliers to the ‘renewable’ resources used by Ecotricity or Good Energy; we try not to fly or drive, and have a ‘low carbon’ car; we have insulated our houses, turned our thermostats down, leave nothing on standby, and don’t buy beans flown in from Kenya. And these things are important. Across a population, they make a difference. But how do we bring others aboard? And what else can we do on the bigger stage?

In this Footdown, a small Bath based company, stepped forward hosting ‘Entrepreneurs with Conscience’. Entrepreneurs, by their very nature, are fleet of foot, interested, and willing to lead. They are smart, and willing to assess new data. They are often great motivators and communicators. April 27th 2007 saw 160 such people paying to assemble at the Roman Baths/ Pump Room in Bath to see what they could do.

Midge Ure did not ‘stand idly by’ but launched Band Aid and Live Aid with Bob Geldof. His solo acoustic performance under an August-in-April sky (the irony not being lost) was followed by dinner. Here, a short film emphasised the role of entrepreneurs in driving the climate change agenda. Presentations followed from Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and The Climate Group.

But to what end? What imprint did Footdown leave?

Firstly, the message that entrepreneurs could make a difference. They can be advocates. Secondly, that there is market opportunity here, and that entrepreneurs can lead the way and make money. But there were also the intangibles. Gone was any sense of isolation in the cause. Energy was created and harnessed.

The key now to make use of that energy. The clock ticks: our CO2 emissions in the next 5 years will determine the rise in temperatures which will occur in 20 years time. The best that can happen is that we shall lose over one third of the world’s species in the coming decades, together with mass migration, disease, war, drought, flood and famine. The worst is perhaps inconceivable. But, in life, there are only two choices - between hope and despair.

Entrepreneurs, by their nature, are optimists. And the legacy of the Bath event was hope.

Professor Hugh Montgomery Director, Institute for Human Health and Performance, UCL and author of “The Genie in the Bottle”, a book on climate change for children.

Click here to order a copy of the video of the event.