Too much technical talk will fail to engage public – Minister

Speaking at a conference held by the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC) this week, the Minister told delegates that they were doing a brilliant job and were communicating well with one another, but could do more to sell themselves to the world outside the sector.

In order to encourage widespread changes in public behaviour, he argued, the sector needed explain why people should make changes in a more accessible way that could be grasped immediately.

“I think you speak a great language to each other but I’m not convinced that you do that to the public,” he said.

“There’s a linguistic challenge,” he said.

“If people get it, get it quickly and get it easily, they’ll rise to the challenge.”

He said he was under no illusions about the importance of greening the business sector, saying the current COP15 climate talks were arguably the most important discussion to have ever taken place in the world.

He acknowledged the ‘absolutely vital’ work of the sector and outlined how Government was using policy and its purchasing power to try to stimulate the markets.

His full speech can be seen on the video below.

Sam Bond