Programming the Public
Propaganda on steroids
Posted on 08 Jun 25
by Mark Hodgson
For some time now I have been irritated by the BBC Radio 4 programme Rare Earth, presented by Tom Heap and Helen Czerski. It increasingly feels like a non-stop lecture about the “climate crisis” [sic] and pure propaganda in favour of UK net zero. However, the most recent programme went further still. Aired at 12.04pm on Friday 6th June the programme blurb on the BBC website is headed “Is Net Zero a toxic brand?” and asks “Can the UK ditch its carbon emissions by 2050? Is the commitment made by all the major parties in 2008 even politically possible?” To discuss the question, a panel of climate alarmist net zero enthusiasts was duly assembled. So much for balance. If the BBC really wants an answer to the question, surely it would have been wise to have a sceptic voice in the mix, to point out the difficulties that are becoming increasingly apparent concerning net zero? Of course, that wasn’t the object of the exercise, which was patently to persuade us that net zero is a great idea, it’s achievable, it’s popular, and we must press on full steam ahead (if that isn’t an inappropriate metaphor in this context) The programme can be listened to here, but I have transcribed it below to save you the trouble. My tetchy interpolations appear in italics in square brackets.
Tom Heap (TP): Welcome to Rare Earth, your weekly guide to the natural world and what we’re doing to it. I’m Tom Heap…
Helen Czerski (HC): …and I’m Helen Czerski. And this week we are talking about how to move beyond burning stuff in order to power our society and economy, sometimes known as Net Zero.
TH: I think it’s probably worth pointing out, Helen, in this programme that I think both of us agreed we’re not really debating whether fighting climate change or reducing emissions is a good thing [of course you’re not, you take it as a given], but how we get there and kind of how useful is this term Net Zero in framing that debate, I think is where we are. [It’s certainly where you are].
HC: Yeah, because it has actually become really interesting. As you say, there’s all the sort of technical stuff around how it works, and there’s actually a really interesting social story that’s growing alongside this and how people respond to this and, you know, people generally like to look after their environment. We understand that the planet is our life support system to some degree, but there’s a lot of debate about how we talk about it and how we communicate. And really interestingly, what we think everyone else thinks.
TH: Yeah, we’ll come onto it, but there’s some sort of discrepancy in belief about how popular or unpopular this stuff is, and what’s actually backed up by the research. But I think one of the things that is really underpinning it is the political debate round it, which may be based on a false assumption, but is very powerful now, that somehow fighting climate change has kind of got on the wrong side of populism, if you like, is unpopular, is politically difficult and therefore politicians of all stripes seem to be backing away from it at different speeds.
HC: Yeah, and it’s interesting, cos it’s only five years ago it was so completely different. You know, there was consensus, certainly in the UK, that this was a thing we all wanted [speak for yourself], and of course that has led to significant change, and the consequences of those decisions, you know, five or ten years ago are that this is already happening. You know, I’ve got an app on my phone where I can look at the energy mix of the UK’s electricity day to day – and of course I do that because I’m that kind of person – and there was this brilliant moment last week where I picked up my phone and 87% of our electricity in the UK was coming at that moment from renewables. So that’s already happening, and yes, it was a very windy day and it was a sunny day and all of that. So the progress towards a cleaner future with less air pollution is already happening. And yet the debate still goes on. [Perhaps, Helen, that’s because you haven’t mentioned the numerous dunkelflautes last autumn, winter and spring, when renewables were producing the square root of diddly squat, prices were through the the roof, we were totally dependent on gas and the interconnectors, and your “cleaner” future wasn’t happening at all].
