I’m not so sure it’s not merely practical realities (lack of space, low-lying countryside, etc.) than make Europe ‘greener’ than the US, else England, with its huge population density, would be leading the way in terms of low-impact living. The UK’s scraping the bottom of the EU league table with poorer nations.

No, the Anglo-American me-me-me boomer mentality is the real issue - many Brits have enthusiastically embraced huge US-sized 4×4s, would love to concrete over greenbelt for a McMansion. They swell with rage when told to reduce their waste. They want 60″ Plasmas, US-sized mega-fridges, elctrojunk gismos and want to keep them switched on blaring away all day. They demand more motorways, cheaper fuel duty, more parking spaces. They don’t want to live in apartments like those continentals. Apartments are just something to speculate on with easy-mortgages and bid-up prices out of reach of younger people so boomers can fatten their generous pensions.

It’s a mentality thing…