FURTHER OBEDIENCE TO THE DIRTY DIGGER AND E-WASTE AVOIDANCE

Jack Bauer saves the world again: 24 goes carbon neutral

* Dan Glaister in Los Angeles
* The Guardian, Tuesday 3 March 2009
* larger | smaller
* Article history

Jack Bauer, hero of the TV series 24, may have it in for terrorists but he just loves the planet. According to Fox, makers of the long-running espionage series, the programme is about to become the first "carbon neutral" TV series.

The programme's makers have cut down on its prime polluter, fuel used for on-set generators, transport and special effects.

But if the thought of Bauer chasing the bad guys at sober speeds in an environmentally responsible hybrid vehicle does not set the pulse racing, fans of the show need not fear. The thrills and spills diet of car chases, explosions and torture will not be toned down, it will be offset.

For while Fox intends to reduce the environmental impact of the show through changes to its working practices, it will also purchase carbon offsets from wind-power plants in India.

"If we've needed a car chase, we've had a car chase," Howard Gordon, executive producer of 24, told the New York Times. "Our obligation is first and foremost to the fans. If we have budget cuts and need to save money, then we'll have fewer car crashes."

Gordon denied that the greening of Bauer had anything to do with currying favour with the show's liberal critics.

"People continue to ascribe political agendas to the show, so they may see this cynically, but, no, absolutely, one has nothing to do with the other," he said.

Yet while Bauer and his cohorts stride forcefully into the green future, the real US government is finding it more difficult to achieve its aims. The US House of Representatives has announced that it is scrapping its intention to make its offices carbon neutral. The plan, part of the Green the Capitol initiative, also depended on the purchase of carbon offsets.

While the result of Fox's efforts on 24 may appeal to liberal critics, the method is controversial. Offsets have been criticised for allowing a polluter to merely buy credit without having to change its behaviour.

Fox is part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which last year set itself the challenge of becoming carbon neutral by 2010. Other TV companies also intend to reduce their carbon footprint. Warner Bros and Disney both have environmental divisions, while NBC Universal plans to "green" three of its TV shows, including Saturday Night Live.