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Black Monday, Green Tuesday?

Tom Heap considers how the recession is likely to affect attitudes towards the environment. Is an economic slowdown a step in the right direction towards a greener planet?

Tom Heap considers how the recession is likely to affect attitudes towards the environment. If the current financial and environmental problems are rooted in our taste for consumption, surely an economic slowdown is a painful but necessary step in the right direction towards a greener planet? Fewer cars on the roads, fewer flights in the air and an enforced prudence when it comes to personal spending will mean less energy use and less waste. But as the government advocates spending our way out of recession, some environmentalists fear that there will be a rush to develop a more environmentally-damaging infrastructure in order to keep the economy buoyant. Others say that we are on the threshold of a new green world where workers in traditionally polluting industries such as car manufacturing will be able to switch to new green jobs.

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30 minutes

Last on

Thu 15 Jan 2009 13:30

Broadcasts

  • Mon 12 Jan 2009 21:00
  • Thu 15 Jan 2009 13:30

What has happened to the world's coral?

What has happened to the world's coral?

In 2016 reefs around the world the size of city blocks died. Here we explore why.

Podcast