Consumers Not Buying Companies' and Governments' Green Message
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06.20.07
If this latest survey is any indication, corporate executives and policymakers alike have a long way to go before they can convince consumers to jump on their 'green' bandwagons. A staggering 9 out of 10 consumers are skeptical about information propagated by companies and, to a lesser extent, governments concerning new, more environmentally friendly initiatives.
Whereas 40% of consumers distrust companies' global warming talk and a further 50% express doubts about their 'green' claims, a strong majority (60%) trust scientists and almost 50% also trust environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace. Close to 70% of respondents also said they wanted to see action on climate change though an equal number wanted claims to be scrutinized by independent panels.
Consumers International and Accountability, the organization that prepared the report, believes that government, businesses and the public need to work more closely together to resolve this credibility issue by ensuring that all corporate claims are independently verified and that all energy-intensive options are removed from stores.
"After government and industry, consumers are the third front in the fight against climate change. But to have any chance of making a difference, they must be fully supported by corporations and governments," said Richard Lloyd, director general of Consumers International and Accountability.
Yet businesses and governments weren't the only ones to suffer a credibility gap: only 22% of consumers trust religious authorities, 12% trust film stars and a further 17% trust the media.
The group surveyed 2,734 individuals in Britain and America for its report.
Via ::
Consumers distrust business on climate change
See also: ::British Business Suffers from Global Warming, ::Polls Show Americans Wising up to Global Warming, ::Dressing Down to Fight Global Warming, ::The One Ton CO2 Project
I don't think anyone trusts Wal-Mart.
Let's see Trust and the US government is an oxymoron.
When you have companies buying congress like the RIAA, MPAA, Microsoft, Car manufacturers, Utilities keeping greener products from being forced into use but you force the consumer to buy digital tuner boxes for their TV's then there is something wrong with this picture.
You should not, can not, trust any business that behaves in a bad faith way to the people who are subjugated, denied their inherent rights of basic health care, vacation time, safe and eco friendly sustainable work environment.
You can not trust a company that thinks buying a carbon credits is going to reduce their carbon footprint. Or people for that matter. Carbon credits do nothing to reduce your footprint. Replacing your incandescent lights with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, using alternative energy, passive solar designs, and Sustainable designs do.
Every business remembers the cost of the 1970's global energy crisis then it was Global Cooling, acid rain, Nuclear fallout from nuclear reactors. Only one story said it could go another way that story came late and was dismissed as noise.
The public had the same reaction then too. I lived in the US during the carter administration. the reduction of speed did next to nothing for saving fuel. Why? because we were on the roads longer. car pooling would have worked except you can not get four people to agree on what to have for lunch let alone how to get from point a to point B with out fighting verbally about it.
These are just a few things that bug me.
I will leave you with this very american thought, Trust is earned not given..
D!W