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There are two dirty words that circulate in the corridors of power, terrifying politicians. They are the same two words that befuddle local councils and baffle quangos. Those words are not Economic Meltdown, nor Peter Mandelson, but culture change.
What's the big deal? Our culture has always changed; change is a necessary part of progress and improvement, of what maintains us as a civilised society. Why should we be scared of it? The answer is that we're beginning a journey now that will ask us to make a lot of changes – a huge number – over the next 20 or so years. The challenge of reducing carbon emissions, reducing our dependency on the general resources of this planet, is such a big one that we will witness enormous change in our lifetimes at a pace that could be uncomfortable at times.
That's if we're lucky enough to see those changes. I don't mean that in a doom and gloom sense – we are the lucky ones: lucky in being able to enjoy what this planet ...