Clippings from the news stream about individual action on climate change
“There is research showing that climate change is happening faster than we thought. We’re in a car hurtling towards the edge of a cliff, we’ve got our foot on the accelerator, and we’re just talking to each other, faffing about. If anything, some of us are even putting the foot further down.
What we need to do is stop the car and get out. That has become increasingly clear to me in the last couple of years, which is why I’ve made changes to my own lifestyle.”
~ Daniel Masoliver, features writer at The Guardian
→ The Guardian – 29 June 2019:
No flights, a four-day week and living off-grid: what climate scientists do at home to save the planet
“What changes have the experts made to their own lives to tackle the climate emergency?“
“To fight the climate crisis, we need as many people as possible working in unison towards one common goal: a healthy planet.”
1) Start the discussion
2) Tap into your relationship capital
3) Get to know your local, regional, national and global policy landscape
4) Amplify the voices of others
5) Recognize the journey
World Economic Forum – 27 May 2019:
5 ways you can personally fight the climate crisis
As consumers get more and more climate emergency aware, the idea of introducing a #ClimateNeutral label makes 100% common sense, because it’s good both for the climate, for sales and for the decarbonising of the business world in general.
The first steps are being taken:
Zero impact man
Have a look at Australia’s very own ZERO IMPACT MAN videos and perhaps consider sharing them with your family members, friends and colleagues via email, newsletter or social media.
The videos, produced by Brett Hedger, offer another perspective on the problem and the solution – so, have a look and see what you think:
Zero Impact Man Part 1 – this is the overview of concepts
Zero Impact Man Part 2 – contains the 52 week climate challenge
What happens when someone wants to go it alone on fixing the climate?
Emily J Keeling shared this link on Facebook, writing: “More and more I’m encountering people saying and writing articles about individual action being pointless. It’s not. Have a read of this one. it’s empowering:”
→ 10 Daily – 25 May 2019:
I Know That Climate Change Is Real — And I’m Not Doing Anything To Stop It
“Most of us understand that man-made climate change is real on an intellectual level — but why are we so bad at implementing this belief in our day-to-day?”
“A Moral Revolution on the Street of Suburbia: The responsible ones let the garden grow wild and have stopped removing the fallen leaves”
Professor Per Gundersen‘s discovery of how much carbon you can bind in a garden that is allowed to grow wild and lush is changing the Danish homeowners’ view of order, morality and responsibility, reported the Danish newspaper Information.
The Third Industrial Revolution
Economic and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin lays out a roadmap for the future to grow our economy and save the environment.
→ See it on: SBS On Demand
“Climate change is the defining issue of our time.”
~ Joe Neguse, Representative, Democrat of Colorado, USA
Empowering news about renewable energy
The City Of Melbourne says it is the first Australian capital city council powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity. The 100% claim is in relation to electricity supply for council buildings and services. An analysis indicated the CBD area of Melbourne could support 461MW of solar panels on the rooftops of its buildings, generating an estimated 548 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year; enough to supply 11% of the entire CBD’s annual electricity consumption.
→ SolarQuotes – 2019:
City Of Melbourne (Council) Now 100% Renewable Electricity Powered
→ Below2C – 25 January 2019:
Ten Compelling Reasons Why Carbon Pricing Works
“Anyone who is serious about climate action and climate solutions must absolutely support the carbon pricing fee and dividend approach. Here’s why.”
The big picture is that the world is becoming uninhabitable due to human-caused climate change. Some parts are changing faster than others. We say ‘climate change is to blame’. Which is of course true, but the statement overlooks who’s to blame for climate change. Climate change is a political choice.
New research shows that climate change already causes migration and conflict. People are forced to leave their homes to seek asylum — adapting to a worsening climate and merely keeping one’s head low during resource-driven conflict aren’t always viable options.
“If worldwide famine and mass extinction weren’t reasons enough to act on global climate change, a couple of new reasons to save the planet just popped up: In ecology, animals faced with a critical change or the destruction of their habitat have three options: adapt, migrate, or starve“, wrote Futurism.com.
However, it is also a part of the story that things are quickly changing in the renewable energy space. The United Kingdom has brought power-sector emissions to Victorian-era levels. Shenzhen, China — a city of 11.9 million people — has already transitioned its entire bus fleet to electric vehicles.
Norwegian oil demand may be peaking due to electric cars. Both utilities and cities are setting near net zero emissions targets within the timeframe of a decade.
#DietChange
→ Daily Mail – 14 January 2019:
Climate change activists say we should eat just 14g of meat a day
“Fourteen grams is an amount is little more than a AAA battery which weighs 12g. The recommendation was published in an article for British journal The Lancet. Meat production is major cause of global warming and is endangering planet”
The devil is in the percentages
On the fact that your individual action actually does matter
“What can we do in the face of the climate emergency? Many say we should drive less, fly less, eat less meat. But others argue that personal actions like this are a pointless drop in the ocean when set against the huge systemic changes that are required to prevent devastating global warming.
It’s a debate that has been raging for decades. Clearly, in terms of global greenhouse gas emissions, a single person’s contribution is basically irrelevant (much like a single vote in an election). But my research, first in my masters and now as part of my PhD, has found that doing something bold like giving up flying can have a wider knock-on effect by influencing others and shifting what’s viewed as “normal”.”
Steve Westlake, PhD Researcher in Environmental Leadership, Cardiff University
“We’re constantly being told that we’re living in the end of days, that we have until 2030 to reverse our emissions trajectory before shit really hits the fan. But, we still react with the relaxed ‘we’ll worry about that later’ attitude. Why do we choose to ignore it?”
“A UCLA psychologist — Per Espen Stoknes — found that as the depth and accuracy of climate science increased, the level of concern in rich Western democracies fell. He identified five common barriers that hinder climate action: distance, doom, dissonance, denial and identity.”
“The biggest obstacle to dealing with climate disruptions lies between your ears, says psychologist and economist Per Espen Stokes. He’s spent years studying the defenses we use to avoid thinking about the demise of our planet — and figuring out a new way of talking about global warming that keeps us from shutting down. Step away from the doomsday narratives and learn how to make caring for the earth feel personable, do-able and empowering with this fun, informative talk.”
→ TED Talk – September 2017:
Per Espen Stoknes: How to transform apocalypse fatigue into action on global warming