To be introduced in its opening ceremony at the Tate Modern today, the 10:10 campaign argues that we can and must try to reduce our emissions by 10%, by 2010%, and is open to individuals and businesses alike.

Partly formed as a reaction against the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit – 10:10 organisers are suggesting that leaders won’t agree to cut emissions by the number their affiliated scientists claim is needed – and arguing that grass-roots commitment is an imperative, 10:10 hopes to get a large number of businesses, organisations and individuals on board, and then challenge government to make a commitment to the 10% by 2010 target.

Founded by Franny Armstrong in association with Comic Relief and The Guardian newspaper, 10:10 hopes it will start relatively small, but make a real difference in the UK, but can then be adopted in other countries. She outlined the essential political aims for the initiative, stating that,

“Once we’ve got a critical mass of support we will go to the government and say the people of Britain are ready to cut by 10%, now we need you to move. If Ed Miliband could go to Copenhagen and say Britain is going to step forward and start cutting as quickly as the science demands, that could potentially break the deadlock in the international negotiations“.

This wariness in the effectiveness of Copenhagen and the Climate Change Summit seems quite fundamental to the 10:10 campaign; Armstrong believes in pressuring governments who at the last major climate change summit, Kyoto, were seen by many as creating a system from which little benefit could be reaped.

Tyndall Centre on Climate Change Research scientist Kevin Anderson, who supports the 10:10 initiative, concurred with Armstrong’s comments on a need for grass roots solidarity:

“A widespread acknowledgement of the scale of the challenge coupled with meaningful actions will provide a political mandate for effective low-carbon polices that it is difficult for decision-makers to ignore“.

The 10:10 campaign, it is hoped, will represent one of those meaningful actions, and the organisers are taking great care to explain that the first 10% of emissions are the easiest to cut, and can be achieved simply by thinking about the simplest tasks, like turning off lights.

A series of small steps, indeed, but 10:10 will look to present those steps as a strong collective.

Source: The Guardian