Earlier this month the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a landmarkreport confirming that the planet is hotting up. They confirm that global surface temperature has risen 0.2°C since 2012, global mean sea level is currently rising 4mm a year, atmospheric CO₂ concentrations are higher than at any time in the last 2 million years, the Arctic is projected to be practically ice-free by 2050, concurrent heatwaves and droughts are likely to become more frequent, several oceanographic trends are already irreversible and abrupt tipping points of the climate system cannot be ruled out. Meanwhile Canada saw its highest ever temperature last month, Europe's record may have been broken last week, Spain's was broken earlier this week and, despite what you might have considered a lousy UK summer, Northern Ireland's hottest ever day was recorded just five weeks ago. It's not looking positive.
So I wondered what I could do about it.
Technically I can't so anything whatsoever by myself. I am but one of 7½ billion humans on the planet, therefore responsible for an infinitesimally small proportion of global temperature rise, so nothing I do will make a blind bit of difference. But if we all thought like that nothing would ever get better, because it's our collective actions that lead to change.
I have already done the three most important things to keep my emission contributions down.
i) I haven't got any children ii) I haven't got a car iii) I haven't started an airline
Not having children is by far my most effective saving, indeed the most high-impact action any individual can take, especially when you factor in all their potential descendants. Living car-free is also a high-impact choice, saving about 3 tonnes of CO₂ per year, but the impact of not having two kids has been calculated to be about 50 times greater. And although very few of us get to be Richard Branson, not taking long haul flights has been identified as the third most effective way to prevent the release of CO₂, and I haven't flown one of those for 15 years.
High impact actions - with approximate CO2e reduction per year
Have one fewer child (25 - 120 tonnes)
Live car free (1 - 5 tonnes)
Avoid one flight (0.2 - 3 tonnes)
Purchase green energy (0.1 - 2.5 tonnes)
Buy a more efficient car (1 tonne)
Eat a plant-based diet (0.3 - 1.6 tonnes)
I am a thoughtful, thrifty member of society with no dependents. If everyone in the UK had the same emissions portfolio as me then the nation's emissions would go down, possibly quite dramatically. But that's no reason to be smug. I am also an intensely privileged citizen of a highly developed country, so actions I take are likely to have a greater impact than in many other parts of the world.
I'm struck that most of my greatest carbon savings aren't because of positive actions, they're because I don't do things. I was reminded of this when I saw a particularly profligate advert on a phone box.
Are you "too thirsty"? Then use our app and we'll bike over a half price bottle of water imported from abroad. This made me shudder because I wouldn't dream of buying a bottle of water when I'm at home with a tap, let alone getting someone else to make a special journey to deliver it. If we were serious about tackling the climate emergency this kind of wastage would be outlawed (or at least the advert would be banned). Not buying stuff is often underrated.
Moderate Impact Actions
Wall insulation
Rooftop solar
Use public transportation, bike, walk
Buy energy efficient products
Conserve energy
Reduce food waste
Eat less meat
Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
Eat local
Also the greenhouse effect's not just about carbon dioxide. Our collective love of red meat and milk contributes significantly to global warming via methane from dairy and beef cattle, so cutting back on that would be a good idea too. I am already a light beef eater, indeed my annual burger consumption is well below that of the average Time Out reader. But I draw the line at milk.
This is Nestlé's new addition into the plant-based milk market, a product made from yellow peas and targeted at those seeking a more ethical pinta. Apparently it's creamier than the usual alternatives made from oats, soya, coconut or any other methane-lite alternative, but it's also relatively much more expensive. A 950ml carton of Wunda retails at £1.90. My normal 4 pints of semi-skimmed costs £1.09. That means this Unsweetened Plant Based Milk Alternative costs 4 times as much as ordinary milk, and still doesn't taste as good, so this is not a planet-saving sacrifice I am willing to make.
Low Impact Actions
Conserve water
Eliminate unnecessary travel
Minimise waste
Plant a tree
Compost
Purchase carbon offsets
Reduce lawn mowing
Ecotourism
Keep backyard chickens
Lessening the climate emergency is the most pressing problem the world collectively faces, and reducing emissions the only effective solution. But the worst effects won't kick in until many of us are dead so it's all too easy to carry on as normal, especially when taking action costs money, limits choices and infringes on our enjoyment of today. Why hold back on that trip to Dubai, that new car or that juicy steak when technically it won't make any difference whatsoever.
In reality only government decisions are going to make a difference to the future of the planet, which is why November's Climate Change Conference in Glasgow is so critically important. But not doing things can be just as significant as taking action, collectively at least, especially when holding back is by far the most sustainable option.
