To ask how many of these you will do to stop global warming?

[LadyinRead]

Apparently if all indivisuals do these six things, we'll be 25% of the way to stopping global warming.
Are we doomed, then? I do most of these but (3) is impossible as appliances aren't built to last that long, and (4) would probably mean never seeing my parents again.

1. Eat a largely plant-based diet, with healthy portions and no waste

2. Buy no more than three new items of clothing per year. (Unlimited second-hand clothing allowed.)

1. Keep electrical products for at least seven years

1. Take no more than one short haul flight every three years and one long haul flight every eight years

1. Get rid of personal motor vehicles

6. Make at least one life shift to nudge the system, like moving to a green energy, insulating your home or changing pension supplier

www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/07/six-key-lifestyle-changes-can-help-avert-the-climate-crisis-study-finds?fbclid=IwAR2llmcsBWVwzzdF0kzuW2tVPAnUbrMUn2hatbfIsrUQ1Awi1EI5XSe1lF0

1 - we are moving that way, but I don't think I'll ever get to 'largely plant based' - more like 50/50.

2 - I'm really not sure which makes me feel awful

3 / 6 - no problem

4 - I don't mind using ferries / trains especially while we have dc. I must admit my retirement plans feature more long haul flights than that, but maybe in 30 years there won't be a planet to fly around!

5 - erm, well, maybe I could, especially when I'm not rushing back from work for a school pick up. But I feel like I might end up using Amazon more, would that negate the effect of me walking everywhere??

None.

Like you say, even if we all adopt these changes, that's only 25% of the way to stopping global warming.

Tech would need to come with a 7 year warranty

2,3 and 4 are fine.... mostly do them already.
1 I'm trying to move towards already.
6 I'd consider.
5 is the real killer though, I feel as if I'd really struggle without my little car

Well the car we need otherwise can't work, I can't afford a new green home and electrical items for 7 years is out of my control if they breakdown and no one can repair
Them

1. We eat meat, dairy or fish almost every day.

1. We buy second hand clothing mainly

1. Keep electrical products for at least seven years - yes.

1. We would normally fly once a year on average

1. We can’t get rid of personal motor vehicles - we are essential workers and there isn’t adequate public transport or safe bike routes. I’d love a horse personally

1. Make at least one life shift to nudge the system, like moving to a green energy, insulating your home or changing pension supplier

I won't do 1 or 5.

I won't go plant based. I will eat mostly plants, grown in this country or near neighbours in season and things like welsh lamb or grass fed uk beef. I will not subscribe to buying in avocados or almond Milk as being better in the uk for the uk.

I can't do 5. Neither can most of the farmers who grow lots of your food.

Happily consume less, fly less though.

1. I'd struggle tbh
2. Fine. I mostly shop on Vinted.
3. Only replace appliance when broken and use repair services
4. I haven't flown since 2016.
5. Public transport is not good enough here to make that realistic. I would be interested in getting rid of one car but it would be hard with children. I would like an electric car.
6. No problem with this but I don't have £££ to pay for solar panels etc.

I won’t be doing 1, but I do try and make sure everything I buy is locally grown / produced so the food miels and associated carbon footprint is minimised. I live by the coast, so that gives me plenty of options.

I won’t be doing 2, but as above try to buy clothes produced on the U.K./EU

Yes to 3 , though it’s tricky when Apple make the iPads slow down after 3 or 4 years. Ditto phones.

Flights; that one will be a challenge. I won’t achieve that

For 5, no, the reported CO2 figures for public transport are always ‘best case’ and don’t take into account lightly loaded off peak travel, which is when I travel. I’ve got an electric car on order, and I have a green energy tariff. 5 years ago we had 4 cars between us - I now have 1.

For 6, my electricity is from renewable sources. My heating and water comes from a carbon neutral district heating scheme. I downsized from a 5 bed house to a 2 bed apartment when my husband died. My pension, ISAs and other equity investments are in funds with clear net zero targets.

We live a car-free lifestyle in London so 5 is easy, we've never had a car. We tend to do 3, although mobile phones tend to be replaced more often (but not every year, more like 4-5). Would probably do 6 (add insulation) but only when we move to a longer term property.
Not prepared to give up meat (I don't mind but other family members are fussiest, and I don't want to cook multiple meals) or long haul flights (family live overseas, plus I like sightseeing). Won't give up buying clothes either as it's something I enjoy, plus I change sizes a lot.

1 - not largely plant-based, but we’re reducing meat consumption. DH has severe allergies (nuts and seeds) that rule out a lot of dairy alternatives etc. I am very conscious of food waste though, and plan shopping/meals carefully to keep this to an absolute minimum.

2 - yeah I’d do this. But I do find it hard to find second hand clothes that fit me, I’m a size 4. But I don’t buy many new clothes anyway, and buy a lot of second hand for DD

3 - I reckon I do this already.

4 - easy, I’ve not flown for about 10 years and am not fussed about it.

5 - getting rid of the car completely would be tough, but DH has a medical condition that means he isn’t allowed to drive so when we moved we made sure that we lived near the town centre, good bus links etc, so it wouldn’t be impossible to get rid of my car. I’d maybe want to wait until we no longer had toddlers though.

6 - pension supplier is through work. We’d like to insulate but it costs too much. Similar issue with green energy, it was more expensive when we fixed last summer and we don’t have the spare income. In a few months we’ll have two kids at nursery but once they’re at school and we’re not spending £1k+ on childcare we’ll be able to look at things like insulation.

@entropynow

None of these will "stop global warming". Changes need to happen on a governmental and global basis and this sort of guilt-tripping serves no purpose save the illusion of control.

I'm glad you said it first.

Already do 1,3,6. Could do 2 if I had to and could buy unlimited second hand clothes- I wouldn’t like it though.
I couldn’t go without a car or holidays, unless I absolutely had to. My DM is disabled, my dog can’t walk well either, DD has classes all over the place, I mostly only use the car at weekends.
We tend to have two/three holidays a year, one/two in the U.K and one abroad.

@welliewarmer

All, if everybody else was. But no.5 should surely be 'or use an electric car'

Most of the emissions of a car are in it's construction and the extraction of raw materials for it's manufacture - so no.

1. No

2. No

1. Already try to do this and longer if possible

1. No to the soft haul. Never fly long haul

1. No

6. Home is already insulated. The rest no.

I basically do 1,3,5,6. Clothes would be tricky, really can’t do with the smell of second hand clothes. I have taken about 8 flights in the past year but all to ireland to see my family. From me it would take nearly. Day to drive to Liverpool for the ferry.

Already do 2, 3 and some of 6.

1 is tricky because of the DC. I would struggle to get enough protein into them without meat.

I wouldn't mind 4 but DH would.

5 is impossible as we live rurally. It would take me literally hours to get to work by public transport. As soon as I got there I'd have to leave to go home!

1 While I don’t eat a plant based diet completely, I don’t eat meat every day, and have very little food waste due to portion control etc. I try to buy locally produced food where possible, no asparagus from Chile for me!

2 I’ve had a moratorium on buying new clothes for some years now, socks and underwear are really all that I’ve purchased in recent years.

3 I already do this, most items are about ten years old, some are more.

4 I’ve not flown for about eight years now, and probably never will again.

5 Already done this.

6 I do try to use ethical suppliers where ever possible, so I am aware of the ideas.

It’s quite interesting to look at it this way, as I wouldn’t have said I had a particularly green lifestyle or outlook.

Not long ago Prince Charles was telling us his little list of noble environmentally friendly things that he did, to encourage us serfs to join in, and I was surprised to find that I already did much more than him!

1. Eat a largely plant-based diet, with healthy portions and no waste

I don't know what largely plant-based means. I am a meat eater and love dairy and not giving them up. I will happily give up eating from corporatons like McDonalds or Coca Cola, eat some plant based meals and minimise waste

1. Buy no more than three new items of clothing per year. (Unlimited second-hand clothing allowed.)

Nope. I'm far from a fashionista so don't buy many clothes anyway but 3 items a year is too little. There is very limited second hand plus sized clothes out there

1. Keep electrical products for at least seven years

Yes, I keep electricals as long as possible. Unfortunately t is often not worth fixing them when they break

1. Take no more than one short haul flight every three years and one long haul flight every eight years

I'm happy to never take a flight

1. Get rid of personal motor vehicles

No way. Parly due to limited mobility but when I did the sums it cost about £5 a week more to run a car than for the household to use public transport. My 9pm commute home takes 45 minutes in the car but would take 2 1/2 hours on the bus

1. Make at least one life shift to nudge the system, like moving to a green energy, insulating your home or changing pension supplier

*I'm in rented accommodation so can't make changes like solar panels. I would do things like change financial supplier.

I do number 3 as long as they still work. Toaster is 20 years old and don't fly at all, have only flown twice in my life. House is insulated and double glazed.

The rest I don't do and won't be. My car is literally saving my life by getting me to and from therapy appointments, I can't stand vegetables, they make me gag and clothes don't last long enough now to make that feasible.

None of these will "stop global warming". Changes need to happen on a governmental and global basis and this sort of guilt-tripping serves no purpose save the illusion of control.

Yes, it's always someone else's responsibility, isn't it?

What can governments do, other than make rules that people like you don't obey because you think it's someone else's responsibility? How can governments make businesses reduce waste and emissions if they have the defence that customers want the waste and emissions?

The sad fact is that the vast majority of people don't give a shit about the environment or the future of the planet, and don't care if their grandchildren have to live in a world where constant wars are fought over clean water and habitable land as long as they can carry on buying stuff and chucking it away.

I drive for work but never for pleasure. I'm lucky to live in an area with a train station and a good bus service. I won't stop eating meat but I probably eat it twice a week max. Clothes? I try hard by never buying fast fashion but I'd struggle to only buy 3 items.

3 and 6 no problem, already do that. I’ll keep the rest and in return I won’t have any children.

1 mostly do already for me but dd refuses to eat anything that isn't beige

2 very rarely buy new for either myself or dd. Only exception is swimwear and underwear

3

@FatOaf

None of these will "stop global warming". Changes need to happen on a governmental and global basis and this sort of guilt-tripping serves no purpose save the illusion of control.

Yes, it's always someone else's responsibility, isn't it?

What can governments do, other than make rules that people like you don't obey because you think it's someone else's responsibility? How can governments make businesses reduce waste and emissions if they have the defence that customers want the waste and emissions?

The sad fact is that the vast majority of people don't give a shit about the environment or the future of the planet, and don't care if their grandchildren have to live in a world where constant wars are fought over clean water and habitable land as long as they can carry on buying stuff and chucking it away.

Well said.