I work in climate change - AMA

[JustInconvenient]

Happy to answer any questions on climate change. Have been working in it for over a decade, on adaptation (dealing with the consequences of climate change) rather than mitigation (curbing greenhouse gas emissions).

Have nc'd in case any of this is outing, and answers on my job might be a bit vague as it's quite niche.

Very interesting thread, thank you OP. I have major climate anxiety and really worry about my kids future. I have been trying my best to make changes to our consumption habits and have cut back drastically.

My Dh works in marine policy and I thought I would share this interesting article. www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/whales-carbon-capture-climate-change/ totally understand plastic isn't directly linked to climate change but actually does have a knock on effect. If the ocean biodiversity is limited then we do risk losing whales which as the article shows have a massive ability to absorb carbon.

I really hope things change politically and the need to change our economy is acknowledged.

Thanks op for your answer. Will read as you answer more. Very interesting.

Do you think our current government will take serious action on the environment & climate change?

Interesting thread & thanks OP.

Do you have any idea how consumerism could be curtailed? I can’t see any capitalist society agreeing to the scale of change needed to effect real results and yet it’s blindingly obvious that natural resources will expire if we carry on as we are

Do you think governments (and industry) should subsidise & promote Electric cars so that potentially everyone who relies on a car can actually afford one?
Would that make a huge difference?

What countries/areas will be effected the most?
Will the richer countries be the safer countries?*

There are too many impacts to list, but the IPCC does a good job of summarising the impacts in various ways - their 1.5 degree special report is a useful overview www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/ but there is plenty of evidence to show that wealth is a huge advantage in ability to adapt, with indigenous populations, those in low lying coastal areas and those dependent on agriculture and marine economy most vulnerable.

The UK having a fairly moderate climate and being relatively rich is to it's advantage (although there will still be impacts).

Do you worry about the future a lot or feel positive?

I worry a lot - the modelled projections and recent observations don't make for light reading. But I do think the human race is remarkably adaptable and inventive when the need arises. I'm also pleased to see how much more public awareness/engagement there is than when I started out. So that makes me hopeful for the future.

@hurrythefuckupgeorge that's a really interesting article, thanks for sharing. I know some marine specialists who have obvious concerns about plastic (who knows - maybe I've come across your DH) and I totally agree about keeping plastic out of the sea, but not to throw the baby out of the bathwater and acknowledge where plastics have a role. The ocean acidification stuff is Worrying, and I hadn't appreciated just how McHugh whales acted as carbon sinks.

I appreciate your point about anxiety too - I think all you can do is make the right changes in your own life and try to separate it out from the things you can't change. Easier said than done I know.

Do you think our current government will take serious action on the environment & climate change?

I think the current UK government has a vested interest in making the environment look good as we leave the EU - it's one of the main policy areas affected by brexit so if it all goes to shit then it'll look like a failure of policy. Whether that translates to significant long term improvement I don't know - we'll need some fairly radical overhauls at some point. I've heard rumblings that DECC might be reinstated (just a rumour though) which would be good, and their noises around flexible working are positive - we need to tackle our working (and particularly commuting) culture as part of wider behavioural changes.

Do you have any idea how consumerism could be curtailed? I can’t see any capitalist society agreeing to the scale of change needed to effect real results and yet it’s blindingly obvious that natural resources will expire if we carry on as we are

Answers on a postcard? I don't know. I don't know if capatilism is or isn't compatible with the challenge of climate change - maybe moving from goods/consumption to services/information would be more sustainable. I do think that as people become more aware of the impacts then there will be an impact on consumer behaviour (not everyone's, obviously) and the economy will have to adapt. A lot has been made of recent retail performance over Christmas and I do wonder if part of that is due to more reluctance to buy things we don't need, although of course there's loads of factors involved.

Do you think governments (and industry) should subsidise & promote Electric cars so that potentially everyone who relies on a car can actually afford one?
Would that make a huge difference?

The market is kind of taking care of itself in terms of electric cars - manufacturers can see which way the wind is blowing and that's driving the technology and the price. Presumably there'll come a point where the transition needs to happen and some sort of scrappage scheme might come into play as with previous generations of car. I'm interested to see what happens around electric vehicles though with the rise of self-driving cars at the same time - this seems like a good point to look at the model of vehicle ownership (and ties in with my earlier point about our commuting lifestyles). I'd be interested to see if a movement to more car-sharing schemes with less personal vehicle ownership might be more sustainable - haven't seen any studies on it though.

What do you see as the main barrier(s) to renewable uptake?

In the UK, government policy, unquestionably. We have lost 3 valuable years when we could have been building more solar & onshore wind farms because of the withdrawal of support and planning policies that are much more restrictive than they would be for other forms of development.

Fortunately the industry is starting to pick up again now because costs have fallen & technology improved. Many people don't realise that onshore wind is actually the cheapest source of new electricity bar none, so there are good economic reasons for encouraging it as well as environmental ones.

Scotland and even Wales have much more positive policies towards renewables than Westminster.

Can I ask, how will the UK be affected? Will be become warmer, or cooler and wetter as ocean currents change?

what can be done to adapt to climate change, and what can we as individuals do?

Sorry if I've missed it already asked OP but if your biggest concern is water resource, how do I as an individual help this either globally or for my little family? I suppose life is so comfortable right now the idea of restricted water access seems so far from my reality but so scary.

Do you inderstand why some people in developed countries think its pointless to be 100% environmentally consciousness when other countries outwith our control are actively harming the environment. I.e. whats the point of one person eating less beef a week when there are videos of people dumping vans of rubbish and god knows what directly into the river as accepted practice. Or when we learn how much co2 beef actually produces compared to an airplane.

What a strange post haggis?

There's already been a measurable overall reduction in red meat consumption in this country, so it's not just 'one person'.

You also seem to be confusing environmental pollution with carbon emissions. Both are bad, but not the same thing.

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change was signed up to by almost every country - they are all trying to do their bit.

And the amount of CO2 produced by beef farming and by flying is measurable and available.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49349566

Thanks @NewName73 it's useful to have your take on the renewables side. It's baffling how the planning system has been so unfavourable when it's become so lax in other areas. Another question - have you read Sustainable energy without the hot air by David MacKay? As a non-specialist i found it a really accessible read but it would be good to know what an expert thinks!

@haggistramp it's a fair question and yes I do understand the sentiment - it can be really demoralising when you feel like your individual contribution (or even your country's contribution) is insignificant in the face of some fairly crappy widespread practices and attitudes. But I don't really but that there's no point in doing the right thing because what's the alternative? Sit here and wait for things to get worse? Obviously at an individual it's for everyone to do what they can and essentially want to do, but for me, working in it for so long I'm not sure I could not let it affect how I live outside of work. At a country level, the UK was a main player in the industrial revolution, and as a highly developed nation which has gotten rich of some fairly substantial emissions (and other environmental damages), I do think it has a moral imperative to lead the way on a cleaner future. Just my opinion though.

Sorry loads of typos in that one!

Op - since flying is so bad for the environment, why haven’t governments - especially those with a large Green presence - done more to limit the number of flights from or to their countries?

Can I ask, how will the UK be affected? Will be become warmer, or cooler and wetter as ocean currents change?

what can be done to adapt to climate change, and what can we as individuals do?

In the UK the trend is for things to get warmer, and although annual rainfall isn't projected to change significantly, winters will be wetter and summers will be drier than at present. Also, rainfall is projected to fall in more intense rainstorms - bad for flooding and also not very helpful for replenishing water supplies as it can't be easily intercepted/stored. The UK is not projected to get cooler and average snowfall is expected to decrease, but you'll still get the occasional odd weather system like the beast from the east.

Adaptation takes many forms and most government departments have to have some plans in place to consider the main risks (flooding, drought, heatwave). Infrastructure providers have to build it into their plans and there are design standards for new development in flood risk areas. There's some support and guidance out there for business to but can be a little more informal and ad hoc.

At an individual level, there's a few things you can consider. Good property level insulation is always a sound idea (thermally efficient houses are good for hot a cold weather). If you have a garden, try to plant drought tolerant species (this goes for your lawn too) - and try to keep it as bee-friendly as possible! If you know you live in a flood risk area then read up on your local risk and property-resilience measures (all available online but this is a good place to start www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk)

Sorry if I've missed it already asked OP but if your biggest concern is water resource, how do I as an individual help this either globally or for my little family? I suppose life is so comfortable right now the idea of restricted water access seems so far from my reality but so scary.

Sorry - I'm trying to be as honest as I can in my responses without being alarming, but yes it can feel scary if it's not what you're used to. The burden of dealing with water supply will fall largely to water companies and government regulators, but consumer behaviour is important too and water companies are already very clued up on nudging people to conserve water - plenty of places are already stretched for water due to population levels and ageing infrastructure anyway. This is a good website for tips on household measures for conserving water waterwise.org.uk/save-water/

In terms of what happens when water stress hits - it's worth having a read about what's been happening in South Africa over the last few years. With some careful and early planning we can hopefully avoid that (and worse) here.

Where are the best/ safest places to live with regard to climate change - in the uk and worldwide ? Where would you definitely not want to live?

How do you expect western countries to react to increasing numbers of climate refugees?

There is a village in Wales that will be decommissioned due to rising sea levels in 25 years time - are there other places already set to be abandoned?
www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/18/this-is-a-wake-up-call-the-villagers-who-could-be-britains-first-climate-refugees

What are the possibilities for low lying island states?

Op - since flying is so bad for the environment, why haven’t governments - especially those with a large Green presence - done more to limit the number of flights from or to their countries?

No idea, although flying is just one of many big contributers to emissions. The overall question is probably why governments aren't making difficult decisions to limit our greenhouse gas emissions overall, and my guess would be money and inertia. This is part of the reason I think individual action is important - the more public opinion changes on what is and isn't acceptable, the more consensus there will be for government action and legislation. Take the ban of smoking in public places - it only worked because public opinion supported it. Again, just my view and someone else might have a more intelligent answer!

Justin thank you for answering my question.