It’s time to get personal, to dispel the romantic notion that we have more important things to do. But first, the big picture. The ambition of the Paris Agreement is for humanity to emit no more greenhouse gases than the planet can absorb, by 2050. The good news is that we are not powerless against the massive forces creating greenhouse gases. In fact, our collective actions shape these forces. So what can we do that will make a real difference? Here are the five concrete actions that each of us can, and should, be taking right now.
Civic Revolutiion: A Citizen's Guide
One: Reduce and reuse.
Think twice about the stuff you buy. From fast fashion to Fenty, headsets to handsets, consumerism and our disposable culture are getting the better of us. We have the power to hold onto products for longer; to buy fewer of them or replace them entirely with services; to support only those brands that promote our values. Just like the “circular economy” that aims to minimise waste and make the most of resources, ultimately it comes back to us. We are resourceful enough to make things last and to do more with less.
Two: Use low-carbon energy.
The climate problem is mostly an energy problem. The energy industry as a whole is in the spotlight as it is responsible for about two-thirds of total carbon emissions worldwide. Choosing green energy makes a big difference to fighting climate change, and you could switch to a renewable energy supplier today (if you haven’t done so already). How you choose to travel also plays a critical role. We have the power to change our entire urban traffic culture, by walking, cycling and using public transport wherever possible.
Three: Eat less meat.
There’s one thing that strict vegans and avid carnivores can agree on: the environmental cost of meat production is much greater than growing vegetables. Agriculture is responsible for one-fifth of all carbon emissions worldwide – with beef farming the worst culprit. One incredibly simple way to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the food sector in half would be for all of us to cut out meat most of the week. One-in-five Britons today claim to be casual vegetarians or “flexitarians”, eating a largely vegetable-based diet supplemented occasionally with meat. Are you one of them?
Four: Invest in the future.
Those of us of a certain age who have savings or pension funds should look where our capital is invested. What is unacceptable is to ignore the fact that our pension money can have a huge effect in rewarding harmful corporate behaviours. If our money is being used to support high carbon assets in any way, such as buying shares in oil and gas companies, those savings should be shifted. The “ethical investment” market in the UK is booming as more people are asking to move their savings into the high growth, low-carbon or no-carbon assets of the future.
Five: Vote.
Progressive local authorities are taking the lead from prevaricating national parties on real climate action. Across the country, at least twenty-seven local authorities so far have declared a “climate emergency” locally and stated specific goals of becoming zero carbon by 2030 – twenty years ahead of the Paris target. Is yours one of them? This is the kind of groundswell that will result in national change. Your vote and local support matters in making this kind of change happen now, where you live.
Too many of us think we don’t have the power to make the world around us a better place. But the reality is that you do have this power at any point in time. You just have to use it.
Ric Casale is the author of “Civic Revolution. A Citizen’s Guide”, published in April 2019. You can follow him on Twitter @RicRewrites.