How much will you pay for a green future?

TIMES are tough. When the UK government announced its new energy plans last week, newspaper headlines raged about how much household bills would rise to pay for cleaner power generation. They gave voice to a growing segment of the British public - wearied by the country's prolonged economic doldrums - that seems disinclined to pay for a greener future.

Ordinary Brits might understandably feel hard done by. Power companies have prospered mightily in recent decades, but the costs of green power will be visited on their customers, not their profits. Other Europeans, too, face a steep bill for climate change relief, but dire financial straits are hampering their efforts (see "Europe in 2050: a survivor's guide to climate change").

But while money is tight, so is time. The climate talks which kicked off in Doha, Qatar, this week, are unlikely to yield much progress towards a global deal to cut emissions. That will increase the need for meaningful national climate change strategies. While we shouldn't let governments and energy companies off the hook, they need public support and pressure to act. It's time we all thought hard about the price we're willing to pay for the future.

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