[Image courtesy of fluffysam]
How’s this for hypocrisy? It turns out that, despite all their preaching about everyone doing their bit to tackle climate change, the Department for Energy and Climate Change have been flying all over the UK on journeys that could quite easily have been done by train.
Apparently, their staff took just under 1,200 domestic flights, including 26 return flights to Manchester. A journey that can be done in two and a half hours by train or a little longer by coach. Surely they could have lift-shared at the very least?
Don’t get me wrong, I congratulate the DECC for the work they’ve done to help prevent climate change – and I’ve been an advocate for much of what they say. I cycle to work and try to leave the car at home if I’m going somewhere in walking distance. And round the house and at work I like to think I do my 20%. Just like I’m told to.
So it really gets on my wick when I hear that a Government department set up to tackle climate change can let their standards slip so remarkably.
What can their excuse for this possibly be? What valid reason could they give for not practising what they preach? Laziness? Expense? Because neither excuse is good enough.
It really devalues all the good work they’ve done on campaigns such as Act On CO2 – a campaign endorsed by this very blog – when figures like this are released. And it makes it hard for those of us who plead with others to try and do their bit. Because why would they when those at the top aren’t seemingly bothered?
Let’s not forget that this story comes in the same week that it was reported that the Government conceded it will not reach its emissions targets for 2010.
It just beggars belief, really. I’m just hoping the DECC are an organisation that learn from their mistakes.
