Steve Backshall

[HunterGatherer]

Don't get me wrong, I think he is a nice chap and his wife is an inspiration, (and this applies equally to other explorers), but how come he is celebrated for travelling around the world having adventures and selling it as "eco" stuff?
His carbon footprint must be astronomical.
I don't get it.

Carbon footprint is not just flights from travelling though. It is everything you consume which requires energy of some form to create or run. I think the bigger picture gets lost. Carbon footprint includes food production, buildings (concrete has one of the biggest carbon dioxide emissions), fast fashion etc. An average sized dog is estimated to be the equivalent carbon footprint of 2 SUVs (including build-fuel-6000 miles per year). Power is required for charging mobiles, TVs, kindles, fitbits etc, it all counts.

Yeah, but even so, if you fly around the world very frequently, probably either first class or private jet, you're still going to have a much bigger carbon footprint than the Joneses at no.32 who go to Spain once a year and drive a Ford SUV. And that's even if, despite your hundreds of flights, the rest of the time you live by candlelight in a one bedroom shed and wear the same clothes every day for a year.

@Thefartingsofaofdenmarkstreet does Steve Backshall have a private jet and make hundreds of flights a year? You're making some wild assumptions, the Jones's could well have a higher carbon footprint.

[quote Daftasabroom]@Thefartingsofaofdenmarkstreet does Steve Backshall have a private jet and make hundreds of flights a year? You're making some wild assumptions, the Jones's could well have a higher carbon footprint.[/quote]
I was talking more generally about 'environmentally conscious' celebrities. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

Steve Backshall can do whatever he wants and I’ll still lust after him.

@Thefartingsofaofdenmarkstreet but surely an environmentally conscious celebrity is better than an environmentally negligent one?

David Attenborough’s been doing it forever 🤷‍♀️

People like David Attenborough/Steve Backshall/Leonardo diCaprio travel the world in order to highlight what an incredible diverse world we live in and out inspire people to protect it. In order to do this, they need to travel. The hard work these people do to protect wildlife and the environment and educate people on their importance probably cancels out their carbon footprint. As for Leonardo dimaggio, he puts his hand in his pocket for conservation very often, regularly producing millions in one go.

You cannot protect rainforests/the arctic/endangered species from an armchair in an English village. You need to travel.

@Prescottdanni123

People like David Attenborough/Steve Backshall/Leonardo diCaprio travel the world in order to highlight what an incredible diverse world we live in and out inspire people to protect it. In order to do this, they need to travel. The hard work these people do to protect wildlife and the environment and educate people on their importance probably cancels out their carbon footprint. As for Leonardo dimaggio, he puts his hand in his pocket for conservation very often, regularly producing millions in one go.

You cannot protect rainforests/the arctic/endangered species from an armchair in an English village. You need to travel.

Bollocks!

Leonardo DiCaprio is a film star! If you think about the carbon footprint of, I dunno, The Wolf of Wall Street (or insert basically any film here) thinking about flying production crew nd actors about, flying people around for premieres and promotions, the clothes, the cars and boats in the film, the sets, feeding everyone an abundance of food and where all that food comes from, and that is just off the top of my head, then that is absolutely huge! Plus DiCaprio is always being papped on some carribean island with his latest young lady.

And he gets to 'educate' me about saving the planet? I don't think so!

Even Attenborough I raise an eyebrow at now lecturing the plebs, when he built his entire career on travelling around the world on aeroplanes and again, big productions with big carbon footprints, but at least his career is linked to wildlife and the planet.

@Thefartingsofaofdenmarkstreet I am a conservationist. When I was at uni, we travelled to Gambia to help some local rangers set up a camera trap project to establish which species were present and taught them some methods of protecting them. We also implemented a couple of wildlife conservation clubs in local schools. Could we have done that if we didn't fly over there? Ummm....No.

People won't protect the environment/animals if they don't see them. David Attenborough strives to show people what we have to lose through educational programmes. How would you suggest we educate people? Do you think that we should only educate people on wildlife/environment by just writing textbooks? (with no photos, because photos would involve someone travelling to take them). Wouldn't producing all of these textbooks and distributing them be bad for the environment? Besides it would be pretty inefficient because as I have just said, people need to see these places and animals.

Leonardo diCaprio still does a lot more than someone who sits at home and does nothing at all to help the environment.

Education is the key to sorting the mess out - and as the majority of the population learn via netflix and the TV then these programmes need to be made. Otherwise the Joneses at no.32 who go to Spain once a year and drive a Ford SUV (have 3 TVS, 5 laptops, numerous mobiles etc) will remain ignorant to what is going on.

Don't know but he's dreamy 😍 misses point

Steve has been responsible for some INCREDIBLE conservation fundraising successes that far outweigh his footprint, which, given how I know him, I would be 100% sure is also offset and done in the most responsible way possible. In fact, knowing what he has helped to safeguard, I would imagine he’s already compensated for his entire families carbon footprint for their whole lives. And he’s still doing everything he can with the specific tools he has to continue doing more.

Fighting climate change isn’t about a lack mindset. No conservationist or climate change scientist would tell us all to never travel. It’s about weighing up how and why we are travelling, and making the most eco conscious decisions when we do.

DiCaprio is a totally different kettle of fish - he preaches environmentalism but has no qualms about actually using private jets etc.

Whereas Sir David showed the world plastic in the ocean and people actually stopped using single use straws etc.

Trying to trip people up with a ‘yeah but’ mindset only fuels the idea that the fossil fuel companies can shrug their shoulders and go ‘but they’re not doing it’ or ‘but they still fly’

Since 2007 he has offset every flight he takes by planting trees. He's been working with World Land Trust to buy rainforest in Guatemala, and working with eg scout groups in the UK to raise awareness and buy more land.

His latest Expedition programme is the UK's first carbon-neutral TV production.

@Thefartingsofaofdenmarkstreet could you define exactly what a carbon footprint is?

Google Operation Ocelot.

Thank you @whitehorsesdonotlie I often wonder why environmental success stories receive so little publicity. If successes got as much recognition perhaps more people would realise that " yes we can solve this".

@Daftasabroom - I think that SB is generally a good guy, not given to blowing his own horn, but there's plenty on the internet about Operation Ocelot if you have a shufty.

@whitehorsesdonotlie a lot of my work involves creating sustainability strategies and sustainability projects. I get irritated by some of the sweeping assumptions like some of those upthread, by people complaining that someone needs to do something (usually as long as it's not them), that we don't celebrate the successes, that people think planting a tree will solve everything, that business isn't doing anything.

The big picture is pretty simple, we need to stop burning fossil fuels, coal in particular. The devil however is in the detail and the detail is incredibly complex and challenging.

Think Steve has been on Mumsnet! It won't let me add photos today but his fb post today addresses this.

I was coming on here to say that, @sunflowerroses

His impact on the awareness of the plight of the planet is worth far more than his carbon footprint. YABU.