The Carbon Issue

Feature

The threat of Climate Change became a common theme in 2006 and now as we press forward into 2007 there is a need to establish how we may help solve or at least ease this situation.

Left, right and centre we are learning all manner of new marketing speak and catch phrases as they roll off the tongues of environmentalists, politicians and our peers. But do we all fully understand what ‘carbon footprint’, ‘carbon offset’ and ‘zero carbon’ actually mean?

The obvious thread going on here is carbon and the need to reduce emissions is the key. The amount of carbon in our atmosphere has increased two fold in the last century and evidence suggests that this has dangerously affected our climate, resulting in higher temperatures and more erratic weather systems, with storms, flooding and droughts predicted to become more frequent and severe.

This change offers real threats to the environment and populations around the world. Just a 2° increase spells trouble, including higher sea levels that threaten to wipe out coastal communities, alongside extensive deforestation and desertification.

Due to our highly industrialised culture and seemingly slow take-up on environmental issues, Britain is currently among the biggest produces of carbon in the world.

Our culture has built itself up around the production of carbon; almost everything we do on a daily basis produces it, from boiling a kettle, to driving to work, to buying Kenyan beans (for instance) at the supermarket. We are so steeped in our high-tech, immediate, automated lifestyles that it may well feel as though we’re on a merry-go-round that we just can’t get off.

How you can effect a change?

Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. The carbon footprint comes in two parts, the first relating to the amount of carbon emissions produced by our everyday activities, the second relating to indirect emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use i.e. their manufacture and disposal.

Carbon Offsetting offers a way to, rather than reduce our own carbon footprint, apparently reduce the impact. Tree planting is one of the most common options here; other ideas involve donating to international conservation projects and investing in alternative energy elsewhere in the world. The idea being that by reducing emissions somewhere else you are ‘offsetting’ your own footprint.

Carbon Zero is effectively what we should all be aiming for. Rather than easing our conscious by paying the odd tenner here and there to obscure, commercial, carbon-offsetting companies, we should be establishing where and how we could reduce our emissions. The key should be to use less in the first place and be aware of what we are consuming.

Reducing Carbon Emissions doesn’t have to be hard work, plus it can save you money! The UK domestic sector is responsible for 30% of the UK’s total energy consumption. Here are just a few tips on how you can do your bit to help:

• Travel - Consider where you are going and how frequently you travel, look at alternative options to air travel.
• Electricity - Sign up to renewable energy schemes.
• Gas - Try using solar water heating - this can reduce your gas bill by up to 70% over a year.
• Transportation - Use public transport as much as possible. Find out about your local bus services and then use it. Alternatively sign up to a car share scheme to reduce your travel footprint.
• Shopping - Be aware of where you food is coming from, our supermarkets are filled with products from all over the globe. Try to buy local, seasonal produce.
• Packaging – Avoid goods and services that have unnecessary packaging. Refuse plastic bags.
• In the Home – Ensure you have good insulation, use energy efficient bulbs, turn off appliances when not in use, look for AAA rated appliances.

For more information on the environment and climate: www.foe.org

MyVillage, 03rd January