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Consumer mobilisation towards a global deal?The same range of strategies for change employed in consumer campaigns, can be seenin the development of international responses to the climate challenge, as countries andbusiness sectors consider their strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats,and the contributions they might make, as producers and consumers of energy, to theglobal solution.Just like individual consumers, nations come from starting points of very different levelsof current impacts, acceptance or responsibility and capacity for adaptation. As withconsumers, most countries recognise the seriousness of the problem, but concernsabout equity and incentives for free-riding work against collaborative outcomes.The Bali Roadmap adopted in 2007“Each country benefits from a national point of viewby the conference of the partiesif it does less of the mitigation itself, and othersto the UN’s Climate Secretariatdo more. If all countries act on this basis, without(UNFCCC) charts the course for aforethought and w, there will be no resolution of thenegotiating process to be completeddilemma.” —Ross Garnaut, 2008 Climate Changein Copenhagen in 2009. This processReviewseeks to reconcile the individualactions and concerns of over 180 countries into a viable and accountable globalmovement for change. The majority of countries are still taking the ‘do your bit’ route,showing willing by talking about or actually embracing easy changes, but standing backfrom making greater strategic commitments. Some are compiling more detailed nationalemissions inventories and carbon accounts, the national version of personal carboncalculators, to identify the most important areas where they can cut emissions.A limited number of countries are actively seeking competitive advantage in specifi careas, like Brazil’s desire to lead the market in bio-fuels, or Japan and Denmark’s effortsin renewable energy. Only a handful of smaller nations like New Zealand, Norway, Costa-Rica and Iceland have pledged to become carbon neutral across their whole economy.Many climate advocates now believe that the most important role that individualscan play, is not simply in directly reducing consumer environmental impacts, but inbuilding a groundswell of pressure on governments and business to support ambitiousgreenhouse gas emission reduction goals and radical public policy innovations. Al Goresees consumer action as a way to prevent people making the leap from disbelief tounderstanding and then straight to despair. “Optimism will not be created by belief alone,we need to change behaviours as well… I’m a big advocate of changing light bulbs,buying hybrids, installing solar panels. But it’s more important to become involved ascitizens. In order to solve the climate crisis, we need to solve the democracy crisis.”14 What Assures Consumers on Climate Change – Australian Update