Industry chiefs on global warming

The BBC reports that a group of Britain's leading industrialists have written to Blair "urgently demanding policies to combat climate change" (see here). This is all well and good, but these people can't have it both ways. Big business has successfully shackled governments by demanding they keep their nose out of their business, but when it suits them, they want to hand over responsibility for unpleasant side-effects of their consumptive businesses by chucking the ball firmly in the government's court.

Perhaps these businesses - with a combined turnover of over 450 billion pounds (around US$750bn) - could do something to lead the way themselves. Their real motive is revealed when they complain that they can't invest until they know what the government's policy on climate will be - again, how about leading the way? Why not invest in schemes that encourage people to be more conservative in their energy consumption and then take those schemes to the government to be rewarded in turn? How could even Blair turn his nose up at that?