Fashion issues

Do we still care about HIV / AIDS, tigers, ivory, fair trade or genetically engineered crops? Do we still want to ‘make poverty history’? Aren’t the most pressing issues of today climate change, clean fuels, carbon emissions and controlling the banks? My point is that nothing goes away, all these issues are relevant and important. But what we think of as important changes and this is often down to media coverage and therefore fashion. Take the environment as an example. There has been a lot of publicity about the Copenhagen summit since December 2009, most notably a consensus in the media that it was a limp affair. Nonetheless, it is ‘front of mind’ with most people as a ‘global’ issue. But how much do people actually care?

In the USA, global warming is considered a low priority when it comes to setting National policy (see here). Increasing numbers also think that the rate and problems associated with global warming are exaggerated (see here). The UK Government recently undertook a campaign to raise awareness about Climate Change, but two of the TV adverts were banned because the claims went beyond “mainstream scientific consensus” (see here). This is a clear admission that the actual importance placed on climate change by the populace is lower than we might think, and likely similar to the USA. So it seems that people recognise climate change is an important global issue but it’s one that someone else will resolve.

So back to the point of fashion issues – are we on the cusp of the next set of global issues? Has the green / environment / climate debate been done to death? Are we weary of debates on carbon? Are we ready for a new set of global issues? Maybe not quite yet but in the next couple of years we will inevitably see the environment relegated to the back seat, along with health, poverty and hunger.