Are you suffering from green fatigue?

Do you find yourself furtively looking over your shoulder each time you throw a bottle in a bin instead of a recycling receptacle? Are you sick of your favourite media analysing the environmental impact of every thing you buy, say or do?

Do you feel compelled to plant a fist in the face of the next person who smugly reels off the steps they’re taking to save the planet? Is this violent impulse quickly replaced by an overwhelming guilt as the knowledge that you really should be doing more seeps from every single pore?

If you can place a fat tick next to any of the symptoms mentioned above, then the chances are you’re suffering from green fatigue.

It may be some consolation to learn that you’re not alone. Here are just a few comments I’ve solicited from friends, colleagues and message board users.

 - "Like everyone else, I am concerned about my own carbon output and my lack of recycling - but I'm sick of the government using things like The Stern Review to tax me on issues they should have sorted out ten years ago when they had the chance. Plus, we're encouraged to trade and travel globally - shouldn’t government and big business shoulder most of the blame for fostering this situation?"

 - "I think The Independent should be singled out for particular attention. I’m fed up of their sanctimonious “we told you so” front page 'environment specials' that seem to appear at least four times a week."

 - "I must admit to feeling somewhat put out by people who demand pristine recycling. I can see that a rinse might make things easier, but scrubbing and polishing my jar of Hoi Sin sauce prior to sticking it in the recycling seems a bit much. How clean do they need this stuff exactly?"

 - "Before Tony Blair gets on his green high horse, would he care to answer how large a carbon footprint has been left by his prolonged and futile search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?"

Who is to blame?
If we consider green fatigue to be a disease, the catalyst for its onslaught on our immune systems must be the media. Barely a day goes by without a new scientific report warning of impending global catastrophe. It seems that in order to be heard, each new report shouts its message of doom louder than the last one.

The result? None of us know for certain how much the planet warmed up by in the last century, how much it is likely to warm up by this century, which areas are likely to be hardest hit and whether it is OK to mix different colours of glass in our recycling bins.

Many scientists fear that the issue of climate change is now so oversold it is irrevocably damaging people’s attitudes to the issue. But should scientists share some of the blame themselves? A BBC Radio 4 documentary broadcast earlier this year looked at how the media react to scientific studies on climate change.

As an example, the documentary used the findings of a study by climateprediction.net, a group of scientists testing the impact on temperature of a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  The majority of scenarios showed that temperatures would likely rise by 3C, however, a very small percentage of the scenarios also suggested a rise in temperature as high as 11C.

You can guess which figure was seized upon by the media. A number of dramatic headlines followed with suitably apocalyptic tones. But the BBC documentary did not lay the blame squarely at the feet of the media. In an interview, one climate scientist admitted that members of his profession were often guilty of hyping the more sensational elements of their studies to ensure publication and future funding.

I’m sure you’ll agree that this is not an entirely reassuring state of affairs. Not only does it ramp up our confusion over the actual facts, more dangerously it provides fuel for the fires of the people who are even more annoying than climate change do-gooders, namely climate change sceptics. Unsure how to spot one? Their links to the biggest polluting businesses and corporations in the world usually give them away.

The Payback
There is some evidence that the larger media is now reaping what it has sown. Take a look at wildlife programmes. Once upon a time we would have been content to watch footage of penguins falling over for an hour. Nowadays we’re not happy unless the film makers actually manage to attach a miniscule camera to the head of a mosquito and make it fly over the Serengeti.

This Christmas, ITV will be going one step further in its efforts to engage our interest in the environment. Extinct will see a number of celebrities championing the cause of their chosen threatened-with-extinction species. We the public then get to choose which one we want to save. It’s a tough choice for sure. Tigers are undoubtedly cool, but would you just look at that cute baby elephant?

Extinct is unlikely to ease your green fatigue symptoms. Neither will the findings of this week’s Stern Review on the economics of climate change and the relish with which our government has embraced it. If you weren’t feeling the eco-pinch already, an imminent raft of green taxes is likely to tip you, and your bank balance, over the edge. The issue of the environment is never, ever going to go away.

Some cures
But, help is at hand. We’ve discovered a number of ways for you to join the green revolution which don’t require fitting a windmill to your house or cycling to Belgium on your holidays. Adopt just one and not only will you be “doing your bit”, you’ll be doing it with a style and attitude that stamps all over beardy green do-gooders.

Take it out on your pets – Your next door neighbours may have solar panels on their roof, but is their pooch undoing all their good work? Show them who's boss by stocking up on biodegradable dog pooh bags and eco-friendly cat litter. You can also take advantage of an ever-expanding range of organic pet food. Let's be honest, a lot of organic produce can taste like sodden clumps of earth so offset your own guilt by making your cat eat it instead.

Turn your child into an eco-warrior – It may be too late for you, but if you start your child off early enough, by their teens they’ll be doing all the good work for you. Encourage their interest in the natural world around them (which infant hasn’t tried to eat a beetle), read them the right kind of books (some authors are shameless in their efforts to shoehorn environmental messages into their texts), adopt an animal or take them on a tour of an eco-friendly house.

Take direct action – Put “Street Fighting Man” by the Rolling Stones on your headphones and take to the streets. There is no shortage of environmental protests you can chose from, get out there and get it off your chest.

Make money out of other people’s guilt – A number of companies provide consumers with climate change solutions. For example, each time you take a flight you can pay an offsetting firm to plant a tree on your behalf to offset the carbon emissions from that flight.

The green industry is still relatively young and the demand for eco-friendly products and services looks all set to go through the roof in the coming years. Come up with a bright idea, set up a business, save the planet and make a packet.

Get someone else to pay for it - The government makes grants available through organisations like the Energy Savings Trust so that homeowners can install eco-friendly energy sources in their homes. At the moment, the amount of money set aside for these grants is miniscule but the government is coming under relentless pressure to boost the pot. So, if you want a wind turbine, some solar panels or a solar thermal hot water heat pump, start applying for grants today.

Eat local produce - Sometimes the old ones are the best. Do your utmost to eat food that is grown or produced locally. A vegetable grown locally tastes a lot better than a vegetable flown half way around the world using dubious freezing processes in an attempt to keep it fresh. And if you do use a supermarket, why not boycott produce from countries whose foreign or domestic polices you don’t agree with. Most products carry details of their country of origin so not only is it easy to do, it’s also quite good fun.

So the next time that annoying, righteous eco-friend invites you round to their eco-house for dinner, why not ask him or her just where their coriander comes from. I guarantee you that eight times out of ten you’ll be party to the pleasure of watching them plummet from their high green walls faster than Humpty Dumpty.

Matt Bradfield, MSN News Editor

Are you suffering from green fatigue? Do you have a cure? Share your comments on our message board