Positive action on climate change and sustainability

[Daftasabroom]

So I've been thinking for a while that there is too much negative news around climate change and sustainability. Whether that's Just Stop Oil or Extinction Rebellion gluing themselves to things, or various MN posters either denying the science or our power as individuals to change the world.

As an antidote I'd like to offer up a thread encouraging meaningful things we can do as individuals, communities and companies to address the climate challenges we face.

So this chart counters a popular narrative that the U.K. is the most responsible for cumulative CO2 emissions globally. Our total share is larger than one would expect but that’s because we invented the Industrial Revolution. But then once the issue was known, we quickly began reducing the CO2 impact and SHARED that green technology world wide so other countries benefited from our innovation. They got to skip the dirty phase of the Industrial Revolution.

@Daftasabroom There is nothing to cheer about, cherry picking some "positive" stat is not progress.
It matters not one jot if the UK stopped green house gas emissions tomo as the RoW carries on as it is doing.

ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions#global-co2-emissions-from-fossil-fuels-and-land-use-change

Global emissions have to halve in the next 7 years to stand a chance of meeting the Paris CC 1.5C temp increase (IPCC) there is absolutely no chance of this being done.

You can call me a Doomster as much as you like but it doesn't change the grim reality what we are facing and doing nothing about....aviation, shipping, farming, industry and war are all charging ahead as before... $1.5bn spent on 8 CO2 neutral ships...? there are 58,000 cargo ships trading internationally.

When the world did act together over CFC's it worked, we needed similar action on aviation, energy production, transport, shipping but not now, 20 years ago! but we aren't even doing it now.

We are way past the point of making small incremental changes.

Anyway, i will leave you to your illusions.

@Alexandra2001 and you are doing what exactly? I suspect nothing.

@Daftasabroom Thanks for this thread, it's very interesting and a real eye-opener to see how actual data compares with received wisdom.

I would like to donate to organisations that are tackling climate change. Which ones would you recommend? At the moment the only one that I am supporting is Global Witness.

Hi @snurtifier I don't actually know much about the international charity sector, the organisation I work for is funded by a mixture of government and commercial work but we are not for profit. I do like The Wildlife Trusts though.

The one thing that the sustainability business/movement is short of is time, effort, skills and knowledge. The aim of this thread was really to try and generate positive action so I would suggest perhaps either joining or starting a local group aimed at improving the sustainability of your community. It could be a school, a sports facility, a library, a health centre, a village hall, a religious building - anything really. Start with a local council meeting perhaps? It could be something really general e.g. reducing CO2 emissions or something very specific e.g. reducing pollution of a specific stream or river.

Friends of the Earth have a good to guide to Community Action Planning. This is a quick Google Search.

For example, the National Lottery Community Fund is a great place to start looking for grants, but it takes a lot of time and effort to figure out what you would like to do and then put together the grant application and find professionals to carry out the work. There are also many local trusts and funds.

Good luck.

Thanks, yes I think I was hoping to salve my green conscience by chucking money at someone else to do something, but I'm sure you're right that the best thing to do is to get stuck in myself.

https://voteclimate.uk/

That's pretty much the exact opposite of the point of this thread. Don't be so effing lazy, do something, get your hands dirty, get educated, apply for grants. Make a difference.

Quit the sloping shoulders.

I would like to politely disagree. Small individual changes might make a tiny local difference, but until or unless politicians take this seriously and act at a national and international level, our efforts will be fruitless.

I fundamentally disagree. People not doing anything and then blaming the government or big business is incredibly hypocritical it's mad.

Government and business absolutely need to take action and they are. There are roughly 20 million households in the UK. That's an awaeful lot more than a tiny local difference..

@parrotonmyshoulder so we get a Green lead government, what could they do that is not already being done?

Before you ask I don't vote Torry.

There is a great podcast about sustainable living when it comes to water use called Waterfall. It has a focus on climate change, the environment and practical stuff we can all do. It's also an easy listen and not patronising. All episodes here:
Waterfall - our water saving podcast - CCW
and where ever you get your podcast from.

j

This is an awesome thread, thank you for sharing this! I thought I might share what I've been doing to uplift and empower me on my journey towards more sustainable living. I have been using the Nudj app to help me make small sustainable changes where I can actually see my carbon savings both as an individual and the global Nudj community's. I have joined a few challenges to help me lower my carbon footprint and build more climate-friendly habits. Since joining the app last year, I have lowered my carbon footprint by 1.4 tonnes! Feel free to check it out here:

www.nudj.life

mmmmmm Govt taking action? no they are not, they are "saying" they are, all they are doing to kicking the can down the road for future Govts to deal with.

We simply do not have enough choice to make a real difference, we recycle but business then sends to Asia etc where it ends up burnt or out to sea.... EV cars? terrible for the environment, that battery tech is so destructive & Govt encourages cheap air travel.. wants fracking and opens coal mines!

Where are the grants for solar, heat pumps? i mean grants that bring the cost down to 100s, not 1000s, so ordinary people can afford them?

even now, new homes are built to poor standards and no Solar/heat pump.

All social change has to be driven by law. So instead of EV's we could limit vehicle size engines to for example - 1200cc, limit air travel to two flights per year/per family... climate change is destroying water levels, yet where are the new water storage facilities? why aren't famers made to store rain water for irrigation?

We are doing SFA.

Have skipped through thread quite quickly so sorry if I've missed it, but Money Movers is about taking climate action by moving your finances. You can Google "we are money movers".

I participated in a money movers group last year and it was really good, happy to answer questions if I can.

@helford I've just been going through the thread again, and I still disagree.

There are grants for heat pumps but no installers.

Engine emissions are absolutely restricted, and 85% of new vehicles need to recyclable.

Innovate UK grants are here. Have a browse and see how many are focused on net zero.

And next time there are elections if you are not standing you really are very hypocritical.

@Daftasabroom Nope, the HP grants are for the wealthy as 5 or 6k will no where nr cover the costs... why aren't there installers? you'd think a serious Govt would have this planned? what about all the 30m vehicles that are not new?

Amazing all these restrictions on vehicle emissions? yet deaths from air pollution (of which vehicles are a huge part off) are on the rise...

We have rules, targets and no enforcement.

Innovate UK? scrapping the barrel there... compare to the 100s of billions of Green investment in the US or in the EU ?

A Oxford based Solar panel company made a break through on solar tech and the Govt refused to fund, so now made in Germany!!! Give me strength!

As for your final comment, so only people who are prepared to stand for election can dare have a different opinion to your "all is rosy in the climate change world" view?

Thats me told!

You tell me why we have no installers.

Extended producer responsibility has been in force for a long time.

The current EU6 regulations have been in place since 2014 and emissions have come under increasing control since 1993.

Deaths from air pollution are dropping. See graph.

The US is largely tax relief, US and EU are a tad larger than the UK. The UK can still, in theory at least, participate in Horizon Europe.

No idea about the Oxford solar tech but government funding for private businesses is governed by international state aid rules. The UK is admittedly behind both Germany and USA but equally both of them push state aid rules to the absolute limit.

There's nothing rosy about climate change and unfortunately opinion and whining are enough, what is need is for every person and every organisation to take positive action.

Just skimmed through and haven’t noticed anyone mention the internet.

Huge data centres all around the world, chewing through energy like nobody’s business.

A quick google shows that the internet emits more CO2 than all global air traffic combined although I haven’t looked into this further. I also read that the digital economy alone uses the same amount of energy, or more, as the entire global usage for everything in pre-internet days.

Food for thought no?

We are being strongly encouraged to give up many things, animal foodstuffs, cars, flying, but no one suggests cutting down internet use.

@TonTonMacoute Google are refreshingly transparent and ambitious.

Exactly, euro6 in since 2014, 9 years ago, where is euro7 or 8 ? EV's are are hardly a solution, extremely environmentally damaging.

State Aid rules don't apply to start ups/R&D.

Grants are available for GSHP but not Solar, GSHP only really work in very well insulated houses, which the UK does not have, lack of installers is down to Govt and follows the general trend of not enough trades people, made worse by a disastrous Brexit.

Did you listen to R4 and a program on recycled plastic and its dumping in the seas? how it is increasingly sent abroad where it is dumped or burnt? how industry will not reduce manufacture?

The pp nailed it, said we are strongly encouraged to give up stuff and thats the problem.. guidelines and encouragement will not help with ever increasing global warming and pollution.

Until there is wide ranging legislation, then we will carrying on as we are heading, which isn't good at all.

Your last paragraph is where we disagree, i don't believe the problems will be solved by the individual, most people have little money to be able to buy low energy products etc etc, they are struggling with their daily lives, Govt and business don't care, in action/profit is what drives them.

EVs have a lower carbon footprint after about 100,000 miles.

De minimis state aid limit is reached at £200,000 after that state aid rules apply regardless of the size or stage of R&D.

@Daftasabroom I think all of the arguing about which is the most important thing to cut down on is by the by. It ALL needs cutting down on.

I don't fly or drive, most of my family's clothes are second hand and I'm desperately trying to introduce biodiversity to my 3mx8m garden.
The biggest factor for me is plastic wrapped food and food Miles. trying to counter it was an allotment, veg patch in the garden and lining both with fruit trees but what can you do? I don't have the space or time to grow everything my family eats. Im still throwing away 3 black-bags of plastic waste a week. Despite doing a hell of a lot to manage it. cost of everything going up has meant I've been buying plastic wrapped fruit again. can wait until I can pick pears and apples and plums and berries. not long to wait.