Counting On … – Page 46

Counting on … day 31

31st January 2024

Talk

Talk about the climate crisis with friends, family and colleagues. Share your hopes and fears. Share the good practices that you have adopted. The more we talk, the more the issue will become the central focus of the government, of businesses, of the media, etc. The more we talk the more people who will join us in taking action. And the more and the greater are the actions we – and governments, businesses and organisations – take the more effective will be our attempt to avert a worsening of the climate crisis. And the greater will be the thanks of future generations.

Counting on … day 30

30th January 2024

Holding companies to account

Whilst governments and local authorities have significant roles to play in shaping how we both live with and tackle the climate crisis, businesses also play a major role. Just as we question and hold elected representatives to account, so we can question and hold to account those who lead and manage large businesses and organisations. We should be able to feel confident that they are acting in the best interests of everyone.

You can write direct to companies and ask what they are doing. You can read reports in journals, like Ethical Consumer, that carry out research as to which companies are behaving most responsibly – and adjust which products you buy. You can sign on-line petitions.

I have written to Pure to ask if their plastic margerine tubs are made from recycled plastic (there is little point in recycling plastic if we don’t then reuse the recycled plastic). I have written to Waitrose asking what they are doing as a company to reach net zero. I have written to Nikwax to ask if they could supply their clothes cleaning and waterproofing liquids as a refill.

Counting on … day 29

29th January 2024

Voting

This year the UK will hold a general election and gain a new government. Will that new government be willing and able to tackle the climate crisis? Will it encourage investment in new green industries? Will it help households and companies to transition to net zero ways of living and working? Will it lead the way globally in fulfilling its commitments to provide finance for the vulnerable nations that are already significantly adversely affected by climate change?

Such questions also holds true for local elections.

It is important that we use our vote, and that we ask the important questions of parties and their candidates. Greenpeace is encouraging everyone to be a climate-savvy voter.

https://action.greenpeace.org.uk/project-climate-vote?source=EM&subsource=ECCLPLOAEM11FY&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Project+Climate+Vote+Commitment+-+OA+20230801&utm_term=

Counting on …. Day 28

28th January 2024

Support campaigns that mitigate the climate crisis

We know many of the causes of the climate crisis and by addressing these, we can reduce the scale and impact of the climate crisis. However such mitigation is not always popular when they threaten vested interests. Solutions are possible but sometimes it is necessary to campaign to win over government support and to give a voice to marginalised groups.

The biggest contribution to the climate crisis comes from the fossil fuel industry and the burning of its products. Traditionally the fossil fuel industry has produced huge profits for investors, with no obligation to make recompense for the pollution caused. They are multi national organisations which exert great pressure on governments and the public through lobbying and advertising.

Nevertheless campaign groups are able to affect change in the practices of fossil fuel companies that benefit the climate.

Climate Action Network explains how they “successfully stopped the Cambo oil field by making Shell pull out of the project. No one act alone stopped this project. From direct action to legal pressure, political lobbying to media scrutiny, local community outreach to online actions – every act added up to force the industry to face a ‘death knell’ for fossil fuel extraction in the North Sea. And we can do it again.”

Now they are continuing to campaign against the government’s decision to approve the development of the Rosebank oil field – You can support the case by adding your name here.

I am part of Christian Climate Action and regularly campaign against companies, projects and practices that contribute to the climate crisis – https://christianclimateaction.org/

You can also be a campaigner by joining groups such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the RSPB.

For more information on Rosebank – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/04/uk-government-admits-rosebank-oil-will-not-be-kept-in-uk-to-boost-energy-security?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 27

27th January 2023

Support climate adaptation projects at home and overseas

The Grantham Institute explains adaptation thus:

“Humans have been adapting to their environments throughout history by developing practices, cultures and livelihoods suited to local conditions – from the Mediterranean siesta to the Vietnamese practice of building homes on stilts to protect against monsoonal rains. However, climate change raises the possibility that existing societies will experience climatic shifts (in temperature, storm frequency, flooding and other factors) that previous experience has not prepared them for. As average global temperatures rise, the impacts of climate change and their associated losses and damage are likely to increase more rapidly and more unpredictably.

“Adaptation seeks to reduce the risks posed by climate changes, and to benefit from any associated opportunities where possible. It is one of two main policy responses to climate change, the other being mitigation – reducing greenhouse gas emissions to address the root causes. Both approaches are necessary because even if emissions are dramatically decreased over the coming decade, further warming is now unavoidable and adaptation will be needed to deal with the climatic changes already set in motion.” https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-is-climate-change-adaptation/

In the UK, adaptation could include insulating buildings so they stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer; planting more trees to provide shade and cooling in summer and to trap rain water to limit flooding; restoring and creating new peat bogs and wetlands areas again to absorb excess water (and carbon too); re-wilding rivers and restoring water meadows to absorb and slow the rate of flow of water to prevent flooding; changing the school timetable and working day to allow people to rest during the middle of the day during heat waves and to work instead in the cooler hours earlier in the day – a siesta; not building on flood plains or close to the coast where rising water levels present a risk; relocating buildings and contents which are at risk of flood damage; growing plants more suited to our new climate including agriculture crops; making good use of solar and wind energy.

As a rich nation we need to help less affluent – and often more critically affected – nations adapt to the changing climate. The options for adaptation will be similar in nature to those for the UK – insulating buildings to protect against extremes of heat; using vegetation and the restoration of natural habitats; adapting agricultural and work practices; harnessing renewable energy.

We can support adaptation projects with funds and/or volunteering with local projects; campaigning to support projects particularly when they are opposed by government or big business; providing funding for overseas projects through charities such as Practical Action and Oxfam, as well as pressing the government to contribute at the scale necessary to make a different and to reflect our moral obligations.

A diverse and wide reaching adaptation project local to where I live involves the re-wilding of strategic parts of the Thames which you can read about at length here – https://kts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Rewilding-Arcadia-.pdf

On a smaller scale another project is in hand to rewild Beverley Brook to benefit biodiversity and to reduce the impact of flooding – https://barnescommon.org.uk/conservation/habitat-management/flood-resilience/

Counting on …day 26

26th January 2024

Support local nature reserves

The National Biodiversity Network reported last year that “The UK’s wildlife is continuing to decline according to a new landmark study [State of Nature]. Already classified as one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries, nearly one in six of the more than ten thousand species assessed (16%) are at risk of being lost from Great Britain.” https://nbn.org.uk/news/state-of-nature-2023/

Yet nature offers us the best solutions to climate change if we at the same time take care to look after nature. Supporting nature reserves and the organisations that run them – such as the National Trust, the Wildlife Trust, the RSPB etc – is an effective way of tackling both the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. Support can be by donations/ membership and or volunteering.

Counting on … day 25

25th January 2024

Green your banking

It is not just through our pensions that our money can make the difference between a fossil fuel shaped future and a liveable future. Banks and insurance companies also invest money on our behalf, and how they invest it makes a big difference. Ethical Consumer writes, “Banks have an enormous amount of power and wealth. UK banks recorded pre-tax profits of almost £50 billion in 2021. They therefore hold massive sway over the nature of our economies. The decisions they make now also have long-lasting repercussions. An oil rig funded in 2022 will last for 20 to 30 years. On the other hand, renewable infrastructure also has a long lifespan and needs a high amount of upfront investment, making banks’ support vital. On a consumer-level, ethical banking is also important, even if you think your savings aren’t worth much. For every £1 a bank holds, it can lend out £9.”

Choosing to bank with a green bank is an effective way of tackling the climate crisis.

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/money-finance/ethical-banking

To find out more about green banking and how to switch banks easily visit – https://www.switchit.green/

Counting on … day 24

24th January 2024

Green your pension

According to Make My Money Matter, “Making your pension green is 21x more powerful at cutting your carbon than giving up flying, going veggie and switching energy provider.”

Why? Because some £3 trillion pounds is invested every year to finance our pensions – money which can either be invested in fossil fuels which will created an unliveable future, or which can be invested in renewable energy and other climate friendly, environmentally friendly projects which will create a beautiful future.

Green my pension

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/oct/04/green-pension-help-environment-climate-crisis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 23

23rd January 2024

Give smaller presents or give gift activities

Hiring and borrowing things reduces the amount of stuff we need to keep in our homes, and often the less is more comfortable. That – as well as reducing the environmental footprint of what we consume – is a good reason for buying fewer and/ or smaller gifts. It’s not to be mean, but to be thoughtful. Gifts can also be gifts of time or activity – an invitation for coffee and cake, or a trip to the theatre, or membership of a local wildlife park.

Researchers suggest that people give gifts with a ‘smile-seeking motive’ which can mean buying something fun rather than practical or indeed the boring thing the person wants! Giving and receiving gifts is about strengthening relationships – expressions of love and belonging.

NB I’m sure the best way of receiving a smile from someone is by smiling at them yourself!d

Counting on … day 22

22nd January 2024

Library of Things

Crom cars to party dresses, from power drills to bicycles, more people are hiring or borrowing things rather than buying. It can be the cheaper option, especially if you know you will only use the item once or twice. It may be an attractive option of the up-front cost is high – such as for a car. It can also make ecological sense. The ecological footprint – the resources used in making it – can be spread between a greater number of people. Rather than using up, say, 10kg of metal, plastic and electrics, to make 10 power drills, why not use 1kg of resources that can be used by ten different people – and possibly more.

there are various formal websites that allow you to lend and borrow items – such as Next Door Neighbour – https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/

And Street Bank - https://www.streetbank.com/

you can probably do the same via your local street’s WhatsApp group.

Alternatively you can go to your nearest Library of Things and borrow what you need – https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/