Solutions won’t cost the earth
When you’re feeling unwell, you go to the doctor. When you run out of hot water, you have a cold shower (and find someone to grump at). When consumers found Cadbury was putting palm oil in their chocolate, they put pressure on them until they caved.
When Earth is heating at unprecedented levels, causing seas to acidify and rise, habitats to be destroyed, icebergs to melt and countries to burn, it’s only human nature to want to know ‘the answer’.
I’m often asked ‘‘what can I do to help?’’ or ‘‘if policymakers could make one decision, what would you want that to be?’’ There are a lot of answers I can give – cut down on your consumption, eat less meat, strengthen the Zero Carbon Act, engage farmers on sustainable agriculture – but none of these can be ‘the answer’.
The effects of climate change are not something we can reduce through one method; we need the combined efforts of everyone on this planet to be able to solve it. Yes, protesting, passing the Zero Carbon Act, and reducing the number of trips you take in your car are all fantastic ways to reduce the impact the human race is having on the planet, but we can’t do just one of these things and expect to see a difference.
On a broader scale, there is an answer: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says we need to be seeing "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society’’. But how we do this is completely up for debate.
Some people will point you to returning to a fully Paleolithic lifestyle; some will argue that we all have to abandon our cars; others will pin the rapidly changing climate on the USA, China and India, throw their hands up and say ‘‘well, there’s nothing we can do here’’.
There’s no straight answer, but there is an idea of what can make a difference. If you believe the prediction of having 12 years left to act on climate change to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius, then we don’t have much time. We need to be making improvements to the world we’ve got now through innovation.
We know what we’re doing now isn’t working. We don’t need to wait for the global domination of electric cars and meatless beef before we start to live sustainably and support those who make that easier – whether they be MPs, councillors, manufacturers and so on. Farmers are innovating to reduce nitrate leaching and methane emissions through new agricultural practices, like Happy Cow Milk’s new model which also cuts the use of plastic.
Speaking of plastic, with the resources we have there is almost no need for it. Student Brooke Moore has created Wrapt, an edible alternative to plastic wrap.
Reusable coffee cups, food containers and straws can replace their single-use counterparts. The Government can start engaging with forwardthinking solutions. Sometimes these cost more, but they don’t cost the earth. The options are there, we need to start employing them.
In no way will the impacts of climate change be reduced through my suggestions alone. It’d take a lot more than 600 words and just me. But the modern issue of climate change requires smart solutions. Governments, individuals and businesses need to make these solutions the norm.
I’m sure whoever is reading this is has influence over something. Their own lives, their children, or their parents, their workplace, their MPs, wherever and whoever.
This is my plea to you to take action as a collective for a better planet.