Time to clean up our own back yard

Today we’re accompanying Denmark’s PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Chinese-Danish Climate Change Conference in Beijing. The atmosphere will be celebratory – he did, after all, get China on board yesterday for a climate pact goal at next year’s UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen. A well-needed triumph that’s left the Danish press whooping.

But bigger challenges lie ahead for Fogh. Denmark may be a world leader in modern energy. But we pay our way to almost half of our national C02 reductions through credit initiatives abroad. Is that visionary? Is that a good example to set to the world?

Now’s the time to solve climate challenges in our own back yard. And us designers can help reduce CO2 emissions in lots of ways. Create packaging that stacks well, so reducing transport pollution. Apply user-centred or persuasive design so people use products and services efficiently. Or, like we’re doing at the moment, designing a progressive metro so people ditch the car for public transport.

Our message to Fogh? Use designers like us. Design isn’t just about making nice-looking chairs. It can actually solve global problems, like climate change. Let’s make it happen!