Let’s make and buy sustainable products that last – or the planet won’t

Dr Phoebe Cochrane welcomes the move towards a circular economy

Cli mate change has been hitting the headlines recently and the Scottish Government has been one of the first to acknowledge the climate emergency and swiftly respond to scientific evidence that Scotland needs to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

The First Minister has committed to looking at all our policies to make sure they are consistent with those ambitions. This is absolutely the right thing to do and environmental charities from across Scotland have welcomed this strong response.

One of the most obvious places to look for change is our own carbon footprint. This measure includes all the greenhouse gas emissions that

occur in other countries as a result of our choices as consumers and the products we import. Because we import a significant proportion of our manufactured products, often from countries still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, the carbon impact of our imports is significant.

In 2015, these emissions amounted to 41.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, nearly three times the total emission associated with all forms of transport in Scotland. Despite Scotland being ahead on achieving our 2020 climate targets, our carbon foot print only fell by 8 percent between 1998 and 2015.

Other far-reaching environmental impact so four lifestyles have been highlighted recently. We have heard about the extent of marine litter and the harmful effects of plastic pollution on wildlife and human health, as well as the chemicals and quantity of water used to produce much of our fast fashion.

The common thread is the unsustainable nature of our consumption – what we buy and how it is made. Recent reports find that consumption of natural resources – things like minerals, metals and timber – has tripled since the 1970s and is set to further double by 2060.

Ninety percent of biodiversity loss and water stress is caused by resource extraction and processing. If everyone in the world followed our lifestyle, we would need three planets to sustain us.

Earth Over shoot Day for the UK was 8 May in 2018 and is predicted to be in May again this year. Overshoot Day is calculated by comparing the ecological footprint (carbon, food, timber, fibre, land consumption) with the capacity of the planet to renew these resources. We should tread more lightly on our planet through