Today,
world leaders are meeting in the Hague to discuss climate change
and what - if anything - can be done to combat global warming.
Their discussions will be full of abstractions about "carbon
trading" and "flexible mechanisms". But for many us
here, the issue has suddenly become far from abstract. Extreme
weather conditions have brought home the fact that our climate is
changing - and changing fast. It may be easy to be fatalistic
about it, but the truth is that although we humans have caused the
problem, we also have the solution. "Think global and act
local," said Friends of the Earth founder David Bower, who
died last week. In many small but important ways we can make a
difference. Here are my top tips for how to begin:
1.
Count your food miles
What
you eat and where you buy it affects global emissions. Pollution
from transport is the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide
emissions, so it is madness to fly out-of-season vegetables across
the world to supermarkets. Supermarket treatment of British food
is also absurd; centralised distribution means food is taken miles
by lorry to another area, often returning back to the starting
point. We should lobby supermarkets for a system of classifying
food according to the distance travelled: 0 for local food, 1 for
British, 2 for Europe, and 3 for intercontinental. Better still,
we should shop at farmers' markets. Local growers get more money:
less transportation means less pollution. Ideally, says Sustain,
"You should also buy organic, not just for health reasons but
because it is sustainably produced. It avoids conventional
pesticides which are petro-chemically based, and it uses more
human labour which is renewable energy."
2. Airmiles: no smiles
By
2020, there will be 1.56bn tourists, double the current numbers.
We should think about the impact of our own journeys. Are there
alternatives to flying? Could we manage without hiring a car? How
can we conserve energy in our host country (other than sleeping by
the pool all day)? The Association of British Travel Agents found
85% of British tourists on package holidays believe it is
important not to damage the environment. But the vast majority
don't do anything: only 18% said they switched off
air-conditioning in hotels to save energy, only 17% said they ask
for towels not to be washed daily.
3.
Recycle your newspaper
Use
the recycling bin. Astonishingly, the UK still only recycles
between 8% and 9% of everything that can be recycled. Newspapers,
magazines and notepaper make up 30% of household rubbish. Waste
disposal is a major contributor to greenhouse gasses. Even better,
avoid buying things you don't really want, and shun unnecessary
packaging. What better time to start than in the run-up to
Christmas. "Making things to throw away uses up natural
resources and wastes energy," says the Women's Environmental
Network, "only buy what you need. Buy goods that are durable,
that have components which can be re-used or recycled."
4.
Turn off anything that winks at you
A
video recorder on standby uses almost as much electricity as one
playing a tape. Small changes in small habits make big
differences. Turning down the thermostat by one degree, not
leaving TV and music centres on standby, turning off lights,
putting lids on cooking pots, and only half-filling kettles can
cut energy consumption by 30%, saving you money as well as saving
the planet, as they used to say in more innocent times.
5.
Buy your electricity at the windfarm
This
is one the door-to-door power sales sharks won't offer you, but
you can buy green energy if you ask. Many suppliers now offer it.
For some suppliers it means investing in the development of
renewable energy technology, such as wind power. Others pledge to
use energy from existing renewable energy supplies, putting into
their supplies green electricity to match the amount used by green
consumers. Future Energy runs an accreditation scheme to check
suppliers are as green as they claim. Friends of the Earth will
soon publish a green league table so you can compare suppliers. So
far only 16,000 have signed up, significantly less than in
green-conscious Germany and Holland. If 1m chose green energy in
the UK, 5% of our power supplies would be renewable, considerably
reducing harmful emissions.
6.
Do the obvious: lag the loft
We
all know about saving energy in the home, don't we? In reality
only 1.4% of the population has bought energy-efficient white
goods such as dishwashers or washing machines even though 50%
claim they have, according to a survey by WWF and Energy Saving
Trust released today. One quarter of the UK's overall carbon
dioxide emissions come from our homes but less has been done to
reduce pollution from this area than any other. Each house emits
six tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, more than the average
car. Simple improvements, such as lagging the loft, fitting
double-glazing and using low-energy light bulbs make a huge
difference. People know about these but are surprisingly ignorant
about other things they can do. When you buy new appliances, look
for the European Union eco-symbol: energy-efficient appliances use
25% less energy than ordinary ones.
7.
Let the worms do the work
Half
of all our waste is biodegradable. Buy a kitchen compost bin; it
can save as much as a ton of rubbish per household per year. You
can even help the process. Women's Environmental Network's home
composting guide says: "Wee on it - the nitrogen accelerates
the process." To take this to its logical conclusion, arrange
a natural burial for yourself or a loved one. Green Burials offers
the woodland coffin which comes flat packed and can be assembled
in 10 minutes. It is ideal for a woodland burial.
8.
Leave the rainforest where it is
Check
all wooden furniture and timber comes from sustainable sources.
Rainforests may not be the fashionable symbolic cause they once
were, but they are still the planet's lungs. Their products pop up
all over the place. WWF says the only guarantee that timber comes
from forests which are socially and environmentally well-managed
is Forestry Stewardship Council approval. Only buy wood with the
FSC symbol.
9.
Just stop using petrol
Yes
you can, and the car industry may (eventually) help you.
Hydrogen-powered cars are loved by car designers and could become
a reality in about 10 years. Meanwhile, consider converting to
liquified petroleum gas (LPG). You won't be alone: a new pump for
this is opening every day. Visit the Powershift website to find
out how. Meanwhile, you can cut down on conventional petrol use
just by changing driving habits - the one positive lesson that can
be learned from the fuel protests: no rapid acceleration, lower
speeds, keeping tires at the right pressure. Join the
Environmental Transport Association. It offers all the services of
the AA and RAC, but is not part of the road lobby.
10.
Well, you can always walk
Or
cycle. The majority of car journeys are less than five miles and,
honestly, once you've stepped out, you'll find it's really not
that bad. The only energy used is your own and that's healthy. You
only have to look at the collective girths of the people's fuel
lobby to know this makes sense.
These
changes will save you money which you should invest in an ethical
saving account. They are profitable and they put the pressure on
business to clean up its act.
Source:
The Guardian Website
- Author:
Ros Coward |