What would life look like if we actually halved carbon emissions?

[Punkypinky]

Just reading about COPT 27 and the fact no countries are really doing much to reduce emissions.

The problem just seems insurmountable to me without us all living VERY different lives, by which I mean no flights, no driving, only eating seasonal produce and very little (if any) meat and probably a whole host of other bleak things too. No one's going to do it are they?

It doesn't mean no flights no driving

It means building a lot of green electricity for heating as well as cooking and industry

It means a flight every couple of years not a couple of flights every year

It means walking short trips , better public transport so your personal car mileage would be no more than 5000 miles a year

It means eating a mostly vegetarian diet - meat a couple of times a week at most

For most British people it would be small changes - the rich would need a mega lifestyle change

I'll be honest here - you are better off facing small changes to avoid climate change than making no changes and feeing the full impact of climate change - that is MUCH scarier

I think no flights and seasonal produce would have not a huge amount of impact on me.
Driving more so, but if the public transport improved (and got cheaper) then actually I'd have no problem with it. Living on an estate where we get one bus an hour (if it comes) and costs best part of £5 to go to the nearest place, 3 miles away. Yes, I normally walk rather than take the bus for both of those reasons. It's when time is tight that it becomes an issue.
I'm not totally convinced by the meat making a difference. A certain amount of our farming land is unsuitable for crops, and I suspect we'd end up on average with more food miles per item.

When the pandemic hit and the world closed down I thought, here you go, an international solution can be found if there is the political will to address climate change.

No, it was all about reverting to the near norm.

I can't see how it will happen now.

Too many people are hypocrites moaning about the climate emergency and flying here there and everywhere or expecting homes that are constantly warm.

The rise in fuel costs and being able to hear the home less shouldn't be a blip it should be the norm if we are to cut back.

That's a LOT fewer people for sure.

It seems like whatever happens we’ll be living very different lives, either now through choice or a bit later with no control.

Do you think that would do it though? I always wonder if doing all that would be enough?

Nothing really would change, you would still have power but from renewable sources

I don't live in the UK. We don't have packaging on anything , you have to really look hard for a ready meal , all produce is local and seasonal

We thought that too. What a missed chance. I'd be terrified for my grandchildren (if I had any). Nothing is going to change until the government steps in. Too many people couldn't care less. Still flying to hen parties and weddings overseas, still driving because they are entitled to. It's all very depressing.

You want to read "the future we choose" it has a lovely chapter about a lower impact but fairer and more community based society.

We need to import a lot of food and move it round the country, we cant all eat local seasonal food, theres too many of us - so someway of getting food to us - sail boats, solar powered flights, electric trains, hydrogen hgvs

Mending stuff needs to be more economical too.

I imagine it would look very different for the Chinese if they were to stop construction of the 215-odd airports they're trying to finish by 2035. And catastrophic for their concrete industry if they stop using every two years what the USA used in the entire 20th century.

I would do this if there was a national program but I’m less keen to plough on if others couldn’t give a chuff.

Less
People.

Reduced flights etc is a drop in the ocean and is just greenwashing and making people feel better about their impact on climate change while the key problem is the fact that there's just too many humans consuming.

It's the elephant in the room. No government wants to say it because the backlash would be immense and turn people off the subject plus capitalism needs more and more consumers and workers.

If we really want to impact climate change we have to significantly reduce the production of humans and deal with the tax/service impacts that would have.

Abandoning the slavish desire for constant economic growth, the idea that we always need more rather than being happy with our lot, would be a start.

And what @HairyMcLarie said. Nothing's going to change until governments address overpopulation.

Not to mention their 1110 coal powered power plants. India has 285. The uk has 3.
I personally won't be giving up anything because it would be pointless IMO unless the really big producers of CO2 do something. China, the US, Russia, India etc.

www.worldometers.info/co2-emissions/co2-emissions-by-country/

This is an interesting table because it also shows what countries have reduced/increased their emissions in the last year. Surprisingly the UK is top of the table having the biggest reductions in the world. If you look at the per capita numbers the Middle East countries actually seem to be particularly high and the UK is surprisingly low.

No you o my need to get rid of rich people

That's the real elephant
Most people don't matter

You could decimate the world population and have barley any impact

@Choconut it's because the UK has outsourced it all to these countries! We don't make anything but we consume it all!

So annoying when people say 'but China'. They are making our goods! Every bit of tat in your kids toy box, secret Santa or Xmas gift is contributing to their output.

What I think is, people will not do even the minimum they could do until it's too late. Our future as human beings is doomed. No question about that. What we can do, as adults, for the people in the future, however small, will worth it, especially if we have kids.

I already don't drive, I walk everywhere locally. We don't fly. Though I really want to, since my family live abroad. Next time I fly would be my parent's funeral, I think.
We still eat meat, but trying to reduce it. I can easily not eat it myself, but my dc wants it, so I'm not completely eliminating it yet.

It's serious, I think. And it's up to you, how you deal with it. I have a dc, so I take it really seriously, and want to do the best I can.

The fact is, UK is one of the lucky country that the climate change hasn't affected much yet. But there are countries that people need to evacuate their own homes.

I understand your thoughts on this but rather see your parents alive than go to their funeral. Xx

I think it's doable. If all of our energy was generated from renewables that would make a huge difference. People wouldn't need to stop flying or driving or eating meat altogether. But we do need to reduce those things - some people aren't even willing to do that though.
Another problem is the ever increasing population which means more food needs to be made and transported, more cars and infrastructure, more energy consumption, more products made in factories etc.

I see a lot of waste everywhere - food waste (which community larders and charities and apps do help reduce), lights left on, excessive heating.... Bet we could make a decent dent if we encouraged people to be more mindful of what's used.

I don’t fly, don’t eat meat, rarely drive (bike everywhere), certainly need to work on seasonal produce but it’s possible to make significant changes without life being awful.

We need to look at the bigger picture: you taking one fewer flight a year means nothing while BP is drilling for fossil fuels in our oceans and governments are cutting down woodland and rainforest for transport and agriculture.

Incidentally, did you know BP invented the term “carbon footprint”? It was a PR campaign that has worked exceptionally well. We’re all mad at each other for not doing enough when really, it’s impossible to live carbon-free in fossil fuel economies. A homeless person still has a carbon footprint. Everyone staying home during covid had a negligible impact on emissions.

We need corporations and governments to go green. We need more carbon capture technology. And we need public appetite for these things, but unfortunately we’re all a bit distracted by the cost of living crisis and shouting about who’s the most vegan.

We need to consume less it's as simple as that but we won't so we are fucked.