If you ruled the world, what would you implement to help with climate change

[GiraffeInTheCity]

Daydreaming if world domination whilst doing a rain dance...

If you ruled unilaterally, what would you do to make things (anything) more climate friendly? I would

• set net zero targets for much sooner (net zero 2050/2030 feels like ages given the emergency) and would require companies to have solid plans to get there. Probably set it for the next 3 to 5 years. Massive fines if you don't meet targets.

• mandate large scale public transport infrastructure upgrades in big cities where there isn't enough (tax the billionaires to pay for it) and make driving in them difficult (ULEZ, scant parking etc)

• renationalise energy and water, with the view to run it on clean energy and without pumping effluent into the rivers / sea. I imagine there would need to be massive upgrades here too to achieve that. Not renationalising because the private sector is being a bunch of thieves dishonest, But because things need to move quickly now, this is an emergency.

• make eating meat / dairy / fish illegal (I know I'll get flamed for this one...) --

-- What would you do?

far more worried about putting clothes on our backs, food on the table and petrol in cars and heating my home come winter at the moment to worry about anything to do with climate change

yet so much about climate change proposals could actually keep money in your pocket & save you £££££

Set up allotted 'Air miles' per person per year that you're allowed to fly, say 2000 miles per year. Then set up a marketplace, so wealthy executives who 'need' to fly to their oh-so-important meetings can purchase miles from people working crappy jobs who'd never fly anywhere.

Expand the concept into water, power, meat and other areas. So the rich guy wanting to fill his swimming pool has to buy some allowance from someone without a swimming pool.

A good way of redistributing wealth whilst putting a value on natural resources?

Cycle lanes on most roads in all of the UK where they are wide enough.

The elephant in the room, even if we all live in caves and eat nothing but lentils is that there are too many people. Read somewhere the population needs cutting by 70%.this won't be popular.

I'd reCYCLE... get it? Sorry, I'll grab my coat.
No but seriously. If we could stop acting like 'cyclists in neon lycra' and just ride bikes as a mode of transport without making a silly statement, this would be a huge leap. If we could actually begin to go Dutch and really transform our towns and cities into cycling havens, imagine how great that would be, how fit we would all be... kids and adults alike. I think the Dutch are exemplary in so many ways but the way they've been so innovative about cycling is what most impresses me.

bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/how-the-dutch-got-their-cycling-infrastructure/

Population doesn't need cutting by 70%

It only needs that if you want to live a high carbon lifestyle

Personally I'd not start killing people off but instead focus on lifestyle and low carbon ways of living a full fun and good life

Massive investment in wave and wind power, it will save a huge amount of money in the long run. Insulating older properties as much as possible. Setting standards for new properties much higher and enforcing actually it. Subsidising public transport, possibly to the extent that Luxemburg has and making it all free.

Yes, it's interlinked - ultimately I think a greener economy would be a fairer one as well (I might be being naive here) but sustainable energy, produced domestically as much as possible, by the state, wouldn't skyrocket in price now.
Cheaper, better public transport (and cycle lanes!) would mitigate against private cars (and lower air pollution - which has direct links to health, which costs money to treat...)

Use grey water rather than drinking water to flush the toilet; the shower/sink/bath is in the same bloody room! I can't get my head round why this isn't a thing, surely it would be easy to put into place, especially in new builds.

Set up allotted 'Air miles' per person per year that you're allowed to fly, say 2000 miles per year. Then set up a marketplace, so wealthy executives who 'need' to fly to their oh-so-important meetings can purchase miles from people working crappy jobs who'd never fly anywhere.

This is going to happen, or at least a personal carbon emissions quota for travel. I think within the next ten years. Airlines have been doing it for years: trading carbon credits on a secondary market.

I’d tax SUVs and other gas guzzling vehicles off the road. I’d have a carbon quota for drivers, which of course would be much more generous for electric or hybrid cars. I’d improve public transport. Some big cities now have zero carbon buses.

I’d also make it much more expensive to have stuff delivered by vehicles creating emissions. Single items from Amazon delivered in a transit van, for example. I’d incentivise use of those lockers instead: one delivery instead of loads.

Every vehicle produced would have to have a roof made of solar panels to power the vehicle, and you would be able to plug it in at home/base to put electricity back into a building .

The grey water for flushing loos is a no brainier, it should be implemented now.

And I’d look at harnessing wave power. The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine, yet the tide always goes in and out twice a day.

I'd renationalise water, power and public transport. All new housing to have solar panels, a lot of help for existing buildings to get insulation and solar panels.

There is something wrong with this thread. Where are all the whinging self-justifying posts explaining why posters MUST be allowed an SUV each for them and their husband and cars for each of their children and air conditioning and twenty flights per year? And why they can’t possibly use public transport.

Plant trees, billions of them, everywhere possible.

massive investment in green infrastructure - renewable energy, EVs, insulating homes, water use efficiency

massive investment in more sustainable farming

that’ll sort it

Random thoughts on what's been said so far:

Tricycles.

Instead of paying farmers to grow this or that or to set aside, pay them to put in hedges to make a wildlife thoroughfare all over the country, designated field edges by law, all joining. They don't have to do it on every field, but on enough so that they join up with the next one. Field verges have been getting smaller for years. My forbears allowed a few weeds to grow at the edges of fields. I wrote to DEFRA about it!!!

Everything possible to use wind and waves and sun.

I can't remember what the original question was.

Make all outside lights on domestic buildings be on sensors, not able to shine for more than 5 minutes. ( Buggers have built on the village I have loved and one pair of buggers are so neurotic that they have a really bright piece of light pollution burning from barely dusk to way past dawn - sorry, private rant.)

With regard to plastic packaging, how would you re-organise my buying of yogurts and olives in plastic pots? I called them yogurts in wasteful plastic on another thread because I always feel that I want the contents but it's a shame to create so much plastic waste.

Less meat and less flying- for starters.

P.S. Years ago, when we had a drought, the Duke of Edinburgh said it was ridiculous to flush away one little wee-wee with a tank full of drinking water.

Ban private jets!

^^ my first thought. All these celebs and their jets using it for 10 minute journeys. Sickening!

Also ban building big houses- I mean like the mansions/ lavish houses you see on selling sunset. 10000sq feet for 1 or 2 people.

Set up allotted 'Air miles' per person per year that you're allowed to fly, say 2000 miles per year

I agree in principal but that would make it impossible for anyone living in Britain to visit family say in the Far East, Australia or South America etc.

Better public transport including improvement of accessibility, and I would ban cyclists. Ethical farming of meat, dairy, fish etc. Better provision of food education so that those who can make more enviro friendly choices are able to.

Ban private planes, ban limos and other unnecessarily big vehicles. 4x4s and other gas guzzlers would only be legal if necessary e.g. for farmers, those living rurally etc.

The Royal family can fuck off with their multiple cars to protect queenie, one car with her in is all that's needed and she and the others can fly economy.

1 abroad holiday/business trip per year for all.

Improved recycling systems, less single use plastic (not zero, that makes things like plastic straws inaccessible for those who NEED them))

Why would you ban cyclists?!

As well as many of the things already suggested I would start a programme of desalination plants. The seawater taken would hopefully help with rising water levels. The water could be used for irrigation to grow crops in arid areas and hopefully the extra greenery would help put back 'good' gasses into the atmosphere which would hopefully slow down climate change.