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

I already do 1, 2, 3 - I replace things when they break and can't be fixed, so if they don't last 7 years even with a couple of repairs along the way, that isn't my fault - manufacturers need to sort out quality.

For 4 I do more short haul flights but haven't been on a long haul flight since 2009. And if trains were cheaper I am sure train use would increase.

1. Get rid of personal motor vehicles - this is the difficult one, though I have a hybrid

1. house is insulated, my pension is partly in "green" funds and I bank with the Coop.

@coldandverytired

If someone could reinstate rural bus services that run at sensible times for school and work I’d happily give up my car 🤷🏼‍♀️ Never going to happen though. Ironically our council are trying to push an active travel plan… whilst simultaneously cutting home to school transport to the bone and axing more buses 🙄

I complained agree. For most people who live outside of towns life would be very difficult without a car. We need more reliable, frequent and cheaper public transport.

1. Eat a largely plant-based diet, with healthy portions and no waste - I'd really struggle with this, tbh.

2. Buy no more than three new items of clothing per year. (Unlimited second-hand clothing allowed.) I'd be fine with this, mostly shop at charity shops anyway.

1. Keep electrical products for at least seven years. I don't replace electrical products until they stop working, but if they do before 7 years, what am I supposed to do?

1. Take no more than one short haul flight every three years and one long haul flight every eight years: Last long haul flight I took was 11 years ago, last short haul was 4. Admittedly this has been largely due to circumstances.

1. Get rid of personal motor vehicles: we need our car. Mind, it's a 2010 ref and we bought it second hand.

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 don't understand how changing pension plans help? But if we decide to stay in our current house (may move), we'll definitely be improving our energy efficiency.

Stupid phone

3 only ever replace when things break beyond repair

4 haven't taken any sort of flight in over 20 years and in the 20 odd years before that have only ever been abroad 4 times

5 this is where I would struggle. I cannot get to work on public transport in under 3 hours. Dd has regular hospital trips in another city. Takes 90 minutes round trip in the car but 4 hours on public transport. Simply not feasible. If electric cars were affordable I would consider swapping however they need to improve the charging network. I live in a victorian terrace with no off-street parking so no way to safely charge one

6 already switched (and pay a premium) for electricity and gas in renewable energy plans (no idea how the gas bit works) and I have no say in my pension provider as it is dictated by work but my employer. I have everything on super energy saving bulbs, all the have the option to not use the standby light, heating is only on very low and for about 30 mins in a morning and an hour in the evening. At other times jumpers and blankets are used to save energy.

The only one I don't already do is 2 and I'd be willing to give it a go.

Currently do/have done 1, 3 and 6. Also probably do 4 on average (one long haul in 18 years). Can't practically do 5. But would like to go electric next. Not sure 2 is doable, although I buy as few clothes as possible.

We have one car that we don't use much. We eat mostly a plant based diet. We don't fly often. We have a local veg box delivered..our house is insulated. Our appliances last more than seven years. However, I do but more than three pieces of clothing a year. I repair clothing, sheets and towels and don't buy high fashion, but three pieces is nothing if you include pants and socks. And I buy the kids too many clothes. We have green energy and I try to reduce plastic by using deodorant in a jar and only use soap/shampoo bars. I recycle everything that I can and physically plant trees as well as paying for trees to be planted. But I also have pets (who eat meat), buy extra veg that isn't locally sourced, had an extension and bought an inflatable hot tub during lockdown, which, although saved mental health and is used daily by all the family, am still aware that that is not remotely environmentally friendly. And I still buy stuff, especially new books from Amazon. And I have take aways and then they arrive covered in plastic. I try. But it is so hard to do everything and I end up feeling like a hypocrite and a failure.

Should say - for no.1, it's the "largely plant based" part I'd struggle with. We already eat healthy portions and don't waste food, but we all like our meat and dairy.

To add, on 6 have already swapped most of pension to green plan 3 years ago, currently insulating house, on green energy plan and have swapped out gas boiler for air source heat pump.

Industry is the main problem. The impact made by consumer choices is tiny by comparison. I don’t waste food, rarely buy new clothes, hardly ever fly and use a log burner with timber from 100m away (almost carbon neutral). Keep cars much longer than most people- but keeping a vintage sports car on the road is much better environmentally than buying a new electric car- but governments want us to buy things so older cars are taxed unfairly.

1. Eat a largely plant-based diet, with healthy portions and no waste - yes we (me and DH) have done this for 4 or 5 years now

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

1. Keep electrical products for at least seven years - phones no (but only because they break earlier than 7 years!) but all other electrical equipment yes - white goods all bought 2nd hand and fixed when they break.

1. Take no more than one short haul flight every three years and one long haul flight every eight years - no we don't do this, family in North Scotland and we are in South England. trains are prohibitively expensive. we fly short haul return on average 2x per year. no holidays abroad.

1. Get rid of personal motor vehicles - no public transport where we are so not really possible, but we buy all cars second hand. can't afford electric just now. DH cycles to work and I wfh. I would be keen to swap our shorter journeys with cycling and toddler in the trailer but the roads are too dangerous.

1. Make at least one life shift to nudge the system, like moving to a green energy, insulating your home or changing pension supplier - we have green energy, and have upgraded our insulation recently.

We do lots of other small things too.

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

Already do this, rarely eat meat or dairy - health reasons rather than environmental. Fruit, vegetables, pulses, grains.

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

I probably average about 5 new items a year.

1. Keep electrical products for at least seven years -

we use them until they break, doesn’t everyone do this?

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

no because I live on a tiny caribbean island and I’d never see my family. It’s already been 3 years since I was last back in UK.

1. Get rid of personal motor vehicles

No, live in hot tropical climate with poor infrastructure for cyclists or runners (few pavements), and a piss poor excuses for a public bus system. It’s 28oc by 7am, and I’d either get caught in torrential rains or sunburnt to shit by the time I got to the office each day.

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

No, limited suppliers/vendors here.

I will not be doing 4 or 5 but already do the others and don't have children.

Would be prepared to do one eat plant based food. Already do three more or less. The rest I wouldn't do.

We live in an apartment so higher density housing which is greener.

We eat a primarily plant based diet with small amounts of meat and fish. We will not go vegan as vegan alternatives are highly processed, and I have health issues that mean very balanced nutrition is vital, and a high fiber diet can cause serious problems. We eat dairy and eggs.

We have a car and need it. We would switch to electric but DH has researched it and switching would be a very high carbon producing activity. It is better we keep our old car. When it has finished its useful life, we will probably go with hybrid.

We have not flown since the pandemic, but will this sumner as we have a son and grandchildren far away. Seeing them is not something we will sacrifice any longer.

We recycle and compost as much as we can. We walk when it is feasible.

All of that said, it is becoming apparent to me that all of the things you list will have at best a negligible effect on climate change. To think otherwise is naive,

You have missed an obvious one off your list OP. Many people have completely stopped having their heating on at home because they are terrified of the massive bill rises that are about to hit.

No chance. It would require a completely different way of life.

1- we raise our own meat and eat a lot of game, field sports being a large part of our leisure time.

2- I wear out more work clothes a year than that, before non work stuff is considered.

3- I keep things as long as they last or are supported. Longevity of hardware and software support currently is the limiting issue.

4- at times we have hit 20 short haul flights a week between us for work. Without both changing careers entirely giving up flying won’t work.

5- live rurally, can cycle to some of my more common work places but would be a struggle to carry all my kit.

6- home is maximally insulated, pension will be invested for maximal growth, electricity supplier is whatever was cheapest but I can’t see me wanting to give up an open fire on a winters evening.

Do 6, buy clothes as needed, yes love to fly, up to twice a year, car love it ( currently not driving due to brain to eye issues, and I hate it), eat semi veggie.
Electrical wise, replace as needed, repairing often too expensive

No kids though, which probably cancels that lot out.

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

• the majority of my food is locally produced/ grown or at least comes from the uk. We do est vegan/ veggie 5-6 days / week.

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

• I usually buy good quality designer brand clothes (often 2nd hand) and wear them until they are threadbare. I do however buy new shoes and outdoor fitness clothing.

1. Keep electrical products for at least seven years

• we keep them until they die...

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

• alredy on it, and never done a long haul flight... most likely will be able to do one or two for the duration of my life!

1. Get rid of personal motor vehicles

• sorry but living in small town UK it's not workable! But spent my first 6 years of having a licence not owning or driving a car as living in a major city.

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

• can't change my pension supplier, but I am on a "green tariff" with my energy supplier. (Not sure how long I can pay the premium though...)

1. Eat a largely plant-based diet, with healthy portions and no waste
Plant based = heavily processed with a multitude of additives to make it into what it's not - (plant based yogurt = dozens of ingredients, plain normal yogurt= milk as only ingredient)
No waste - nice idea but I have children, i might as well just drop half of what i make on the floor and be done with it.

2. Buy no more than three new items of clothing per year. (Unlimited second-hand clothing allowed.)
Again I have children, they grow like weeds.

3. Keep electrical products for at least seven years
Generally kept till they break or are no longer capable of doing what is required of them (phones/tablets). That's on the manufacturer not me

4. Take no more than one short haul flight every three years and one long haul flight every eight years
How do you get home after your 1 flight?

5. Get rid of personal motor vehicles
Not a chance. What a way to totally restrict your life to what's on the only local bus route & do everything in a town. And that's assuming you have public transport worth talking about.

6. Make at least one life shift to nudge the system, like moving to a green energy, insulating your home or changing pension supplier
I'll stick to the pension that's likely to give me the best return/that my employer also contributes to.
Green energy can go take a back seat at the moment - it should be blindingly obvious that energy security is a bigger issue at the moment. We need cheap reliable nuclear energy as back up for when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing (which just happens to coincide with the extremely cold snaps when demand surges)

Could do 1 at a push, if I had to. Already do 3 and 6.

Couldn't do 5, wouldn't be able to get to work.

Wouldn't consider 2 and 4 at the moment. I'm not stopping flying until private jets are stopped. I am lucky enough to go on holiday one a year - usually in Europe. I'm not giving that up until rich people stop flying on their own every week!

The one thing I can’t/won’t do is give up my car. Depending on where I am required to work I will often walk to work. If I have to work in a certain location then I drive there. I do not live near a train station and I’m not prepared to walk 1.5 miles up hill lugging my laptop and all my work gear to the bus stop. Besides which I would have to leave the house 45 minutes earlier to catch a bus which would get me there on time. It’s very difficult if you live rurally.

@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.

This.

And I literally couldn't get to work without a car as I live rurally. I also have a disability. There are loads of people who have this or other circumstances that mean they need a car, so your plan is foiled on that point alone.

I am vegan and pretty much do everything except no 5. Couldn’t and tbh wouldn’t want to give up my car. The clothes thing I usually stick to except last year I had to replace most things due to losing over 3 stone in weight and nothing fitting. Might have to go slightly over this year too as need a few summer bits, but otherwise stick to this easily for years.