Climate change journey can start with the smallest of steps

THE alarm bells are ringing all over the world in the face of climate change. Indeed, such is the urgency, people are beginning to rename it ‘climate catastrophe’. Everyone from David Attenborough to Conor Faulknan of the AA is warning that our behaviour will have to change — the time for talking has passed.

What to do? I’m not sure if I’m one for campaigning anymore — I’ve been there and done that and I don’t need another T-shirt. I am asking myself however, what I can do as an individual to reduce my contribution to carbon emissions.

One of the downsides of living in rural Ireland is that one’s carbon footprint has the potential to be somewhat heavier than one’s urban counterpart, given the dispersed nature of rural settlements and the dependence on private transport. With the demise of the local shop, rural dwellers have to travel farther and farther to get the newspaper, the pint of milk and the loaf of bread.

One of the first steps I can take on my path of carbon reduction is to heed the advice of RTÉ’s Theresa Mannion and “avoid unnecessary journeys”. Being the parent who spends most of the time at home, many of the regular domestic chores fall into my portfolio of responsibilities.

Among these is the interminable taxi driving that comes with being a rural dad. We live 11km from the local town where most of the educational, social, shopping and sporting action takes place, and we are about 40km from the nearest city where the more deluxe facilities and shops can be accessed.

Journeys to and from the local town can be frequent, and many of these can be unnecessary.

Cutting out these journeys has to be a priority and it can be done. Driving someone to town, more often than not, involves a second journey to collect them. Indeed one journey can create three more — out, in and out again.

As a freelance scribbler, I can do much of my work on the laptop so there is nothing to stop me finding a cafe with wi-fi and staying put until my offspring are finished whatever they are doing, be it honing their musical skills, socialising, glamourising or making nuisances of themselves.

While they do their stuff, I can write another chapter of the great Irish novel and the planet can breathe a little easier.

Being prepared to hang around creatively could reduce my short journeys by up to 75pc and could also bring a bit of business to a local cafe.

If the muse fails to deliver the latest twist in the much anticipated novel, I could use the opportunity to do some much needed exercise. There are many places for a good constitutional walk while waiting around.

Living by the Theresa Mannion doctrine and avoiding unnecessary journeys could be the first step on my way to carbon neutrality. A concerted attempt on all our parts to reduce the communal carbon footprint could be good news for the local shop and the local town. These shops should seize the opportunities offered by carbon reduction and promote the environmental advantages of shopping local.

Home delivery could also cut down on carbon emissions in rural areas.

I used to think that such home delivery was very posh, but I’m beginning to revise my thinking.

When you think of it, isn’t it far better to have two or three different delivery vans driving from the local town and going door to door around the parish rather than 20 or 30 local cars making the same journey.