What can we all do to slow the speed of climate change?

AS WE ALL KNOW, JUST OVER A YEAR AGO THE WORLD CHANGED. IT BEGAN WITH NEWS REPORTS OF A VIRUS IN THE CITY OF WUHAN, IN CHINA, THAT SOON BECAME A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. THE COVID CRISIS LED TO LOCKDOWNS ACROSS THE WORLD AS GOVERNMENTS BATTLED TO CONTAIN THE SPRE

IT’S been clear to see the short term impact that lockdowns have had on the environment, with reductions in CO2 emissions across the world. But as we emerge from the pandemic those emissions will start to rise again. So it’s the ideal time to look at how we can minimise our impact on the environment by living, working and moving in smarter ways.

Last week the prime minister announced plans to cut the UK’s carbon emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 a hugely ambitious target that would put the country three-quarters of the way to reaching net-zero by 2050. It would mean changes to the way Britain powers its homes, cars and factories, how it feeds its people and what it does to dispose of carbon dioxide.

Later this year, Glasgow will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) where nations from across the globe will gather to discuss how world leaders can influence environmental change for everyone.

But it takes more than governments to make a change and we all have a part to play as individuals and businesses.

With this in mind, through its Climate Accelerator programme and as an official sponsorship of COP26, NatWest has brought together a team of experts to answer questions on climate change and what we, as individuals, can do to help.

Is working from home here to stay and what impact do you think it will have on the environment?

“It’s a bit of a mixed picture, working from home will definitely continue, a recent survey of 800 corporate executives revealed more than 38 per cent will work remotely one or two days a week,” said Rishi Madlani, a sustainable finance expert from NatWest.

Caty Batten, the co-founder of Intaconnected, whose mission is to help businesses play their part in the fight against climate change, agrees.

“The conversations we’re having with companies and employees is that it’s not going to be anytime soon that we’ll back to work full time in the place of work that we were.”

The key says Matthew Isaacs of My Emissions, a firm that helps businesses calculate and reduce their carbon footprint, is to keep talking.

“I think it’s to keep conversations going, speaking about the impact these measures can have, how connected we can be in this virtual world and how we can continue working and meeting people and conduct business deals virtually,” he said.

Carbon credits are available to help both businesses and individuals reduce their impact on the planet but what are they and how do they work?

“In terms of our carbon footprint as either a business or as an individual, there are numerous apps that can help you understand what your own carbon footprint is. Companies can incentivise employees to use these to help measure their impact on the environment,” said Caty.

Rishi agrees: “We all need to do certain things for our work, see where your impacts are and use some of the tools out there. We have partnered with CoGo to help NatWest customers measure their emissions. I would say take a look at what your emissions are and take a step to reduce them.”

Caty continued: “Once you understand the size of your footprint you can offset that, which means you can choose a variety of different projects that are able to absorb that same equivalent of carbon dioxide.”

Is there anything we can do at home to help, whether that’s recycling more or changing our diets?

Matthew feels there is work to be done. “There’s so much that people can do. In terms of food there’s a huge opportunity. Currently, food is responsible for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions. So we could massively reduce that if we moved towards lower carbon foods and making more sustainable choices.

“If we all went meat-free for one day a week, it would make a massive dent in not just your personal greenhouse gas emissions but also global emissions.

“Another big problem is food waste. Currently, food waste is estimated to be responsible for 6% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

“So if everyone just made sure they cut out as much of food waste as possible, that’s a really important thing we could all do to make a difference on climate change.”

Deforestation is another contributing factor to the emissions crisis as swathes of forest across the globe are felled to make way for agriculture.

“We can make those choices that avoid consuming the products that are contributing to the removal of those critical eco-systems that would otherwise protect us, said Caty.

Realistically, how much of a difference can shopping locally make?

“One of the biggest benefits of shopping locally and purchasing food that’s grown locally is you can actually get to understand how your items are made,” said Matthew.

“There’s a misconception that transportation of goods is the leading emitter. This makes up a small percentage of the overall carbon footprint of a product. It’s more important to understand how food is farmed and made rather than how it’s transported.

“The more information you have on the products you buy the better choices you can make and, of course, shopping locally gives that opportunity.”

Do you think habits are changing and people are becoming more aware of where their goods come from?

Clothing should also be considered a sustainable option thinks Matthew.

“And with clothing, the most sustainable items are the ones you already own. So if you can find ways of repurposing them it extends their life then that’s a great way to save money and one of the most environmentally friendly things we can all do to help reduce global emissions.”

“The point Matthew made around fashion is critical and fast fashion is a huge issue,” said Caty.

“From the way the garments are made and transported and materials used, we buy them cheaply and throw them away.”

“High fashion is becoming much more affordable and renting clothes is an option. And then there’s charity clothes shopping - it’s become the cool thing to do. Wear it for a year then return it to the pot for someone else to use.”

But we all need to think about small changes. “The key thing for me is to encourage everyone to think about what can you do,” said Rishi.

“Some things you can’t change, but change the things you can. In your home, can you change your lifestyle?

“Whether, for example, it’s turning the heating down a couple of degrees, think about all the measures you can do.

“Secondly, think about how you travel, can you walk, cycle, use public transport instead of using a car.”

NatWest has hugely ambitious targets, they’re planning to be climate positive by 2025, what are your thoughts about that?

“It’s tough but we have no choice, we’ve all see the BBC and Netflix documentaries, there’s too much at risk here and we have to act now,” said Rishi.

“The proof point for me is the pace we’ve de-carbonised the UK electricity supply. We’ve seen a huge deployment of renewables and that clarity of government policy and their long-term plan around this continues to accelerate. We’re delighted to be one of the largest financiers of UK renewables. In the last 10 years, we’ve been the leading lender in that space.”

Finally, we all have to take responsibility for the climate, but will change happen someday soon, or ever?

“So I’d say one of the big changes in the last 12 months is just how more climate change is part of the conversation and that is leading to significant changes, The government has brought forward its commitment to climate change,” said Matthew.

“We’ve got the COP26 summit later this year and suddenly climate change is on the front pages of so many publications and at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

“And fundamentally, that’s almost the first step and the biggest step in seeing change happening and everyone has an opportunity no matter how big or small to make difference.

• If you would like to find out more about the work NatWest is doing to improve sustainability in business from investing in off-shore wind farms to reducing its involvement in the production of fossil fuels you can visit their website: