It's easy to talk about the government as if it were a single, all-powerful, bureaucratic machine, with tentacles stretching out from Downing Street into every aspect of our daily lives. Of course, it simply isn't like that.
Governments are a collection of individuals: from the 22 who sit round the Cabinet table, through the hundred or so ministers in various government departments, their political special advisers and civil servants. Throw in the external pressures of the media, business, and organisations like Greenpeace, and you see that far from being a single machine, it is a complicated alliance of individuals who come together to form the body politic. And as the Environment Minister Hilary Benn said today, it's important that they all "get it" on climate change.
He was talking at the launch of the latest iteration of the Climate Change Bill. This is a potentially ground-breaking piece of legislation to set binding targets on "government" to reduce CO2 emissions. It will establish a powerful Climate Change Committee that will be set budgets for cuts in greenhouse gases. The UK will be the first country in the world to put our legislation where our mouth is on climate change.
But all the targets and laws in the world won't amount to anything unless there is real action on cutting CO2 by everyone in government. There is no point having a climate change bill, if it is to be followed by a dud Energy Bill. It is pointless having binding targets if a single department - BERR - insist on rowing back on the EU's commitment to 20 per cent of energy from renewable sources by 2020.
It is vital every government department understands exactly what it needs to do to stop catastrophic climate change. Today, I sensed some frustration within DEFRA that other departments simply aren't taking it as seriously: whether it is the ministers responsible for energy policy or those who want to see a massive expansion of Heathrow Airport.
Some ministers admit they struggle to reduce CO2 emissions whilst still giving the public what they want. How, they ask, can you cut aviation emissions yet keep cheap holiday flights?
But if you really understand the threat of climate change then you will be prepared to persuade the public, to push back on the aviation lobby, and to convince your colleagues that aviation emissions should be reduced.
We are still some way from everyone in government "getting it".
