Along with the VAT rise, I was hoping that we’d see the introduction of a carbon tax: where polluting offenders (individual or companies) would have to pay for the damage they do to the environment. Although its not money that will solve the issue, raising awareness of what is considered “bad” business behaviour in relation to the environment would have been a useful exercise. Britain is officially the “dirty man of Europe”, after a review of Europe’s top 300 companies by ethical investment consultant Eiris found that the largest group causing a “a very high impact” on global warming were UK based. This is not a surprise, as a good number of FTSE 100 companies are mining or oil focused, and the UK has not yet succeeded in building up a low-carbon business sector.

The BP oil spill has also highlighted for the world the notion of “bad” business, and the idea that the polluter should pay, not all the rest of us, is something that the general public have latched onto. After a long period of “green hush”, post-a-failed-Copenhagen, climate impact is suddenly back on the agenda, but not in the same way as before. Then, we were looking to change our own individual understandings and lifestyles, now we’re being given the lazy opportunity to point the finger away from ourselves. Its easier to blame the big bully boy companies This week, the FTSE Group is launching new indices to help investors track the ability of companies to manage climate risks. This is a fine idea, as it helps us easily spot “good” companies (or those that pay for their pollution) in which to invest.

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