Carbon emissions and global warming
What can the parish do?
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) issued an alarming report in 2018 - but one which offers some hope... IF we can keep global warming to no more than 1.5⁰ Centigrade.
If we change nothing, we are heading for global warming of 3⁰ Centigrade and catastrophe. It doesn't sound much but it would be catastrophic. The knock-on effects of melting polar ice-caps, helium release, drought, sea-level rise, population displacement, social and political disorder, health, and risks to the security of nuclear power stations would quite possibly wipe out humans (and many other species besides).
Keeping global warming to an increase of 2⁰ Centigrade is probably achievable with swift action and a clear political will. But the knock-on effects at 2⁰ are still unthinkable.
At 1.5⁰, the increase in global warming may be manageable. That's the ray of hope. To keep global warming to that level, the IPCC says we have to reduce our carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 and cut them to net zero (carbon neutral) by 2050. (There are many scientists who say we have to do it far sooner than that, so there is no room for missing the target.)
National Government can do most here, and city and county councils can do a lot to:
For a small parish council, there is little we can do as a council. However, there is plenty that we can do as parish residents.
So, what can we do to go carbon neutral ourselves?
The top 10 actions, as identified in a BBC report, include:
Friends of the Earth have a 33-point plan which is mainly aimed at larger (city and county) councils. But the lesson is clear: we need to do everything we can to reduce emissions from homes, share transport, use less energy, buy less, waste less, re-use and repair goods...
There's a carbon footprint calculator here.
We could take steps as a parish to generate more electricity ourselves, to share car journeys, to pool shopping trips or buy in bulk. All would involve a big shift away from our current nuclear households towards the kind of community approach we might imagine from a century ago.
To become carbon neutral as a parish will require that each household calculates its own carbon footprint, commits to reducing it, makes a plan to do so and monitors its footprint regularly. This can be engaging and interesting - especially for families with environmentally-aware children. In over-stressed and/or uninterested households, it's never going to happen.
If we change nothing, we are heading for global warming of 3⁰ Centigrade and catastrophe. It doesn't sound much but it would be catastrophic. The knock-on effects of melting polar ice-caps, helium release, drought, sea-level rise, population displacement, social and political disorder, health, and risks to the security of nuclear power stations would quite possibly wipe out humans (and many other species besides).
Keeping global warming to an increase of 2⁰ Centigrade is probably achievable with swift action and a clear political will. But the knock-on effects at 2⁰ are still unthinkable.
At 1.5⁰, the increase in global warming may be manageable. That's the ray of hope. To keep global warming to that level, the IPCC says we have to reduce our carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 and cut them to net zero (carbon neutral) by 2050. (There are many scientists who say we have to do it far sooner than that, so there is no room for missing the target.)
National Government can do most here, and city and county councils can do a lot to:
- reduce carbon emissions from council buildings
- invest in improved public transport links
- manage parking and car use
- improve the carbon rating of rented properties... etc.
For a small parish council, there is little we can do as a council. However, there is plenty that we can do as parish residents.
So, what can we do to go carbon neutral ourselves?
The top 10 actions, as identified in a BBC report, include:
- Switch to renewable energy sources (use a renewable electricity supplier, and stop using coal, gas and oil)
- If you have a car or fly, stop - or significantly reduce - driving and flying
- If you own shares or have a pension scheme, move your investments out of businesses with high carbon emissions and banks that fund them.
- Eat less meat.
- Buy fewer consumer goods and shop locally.
Friends of the Earth have a 33-point plan which is mainly aimed at larger (city and county) councils. But the lesson is clear: we need to do everything we can to reduce emissions from homes, share transport, use less energy, buy less, waste less, re-use and repair goods...
There's a carbon footprint calculator here.
We could take steps as a parish to generate more electricity ourselves, to share car journeys, to pool shopping trips or buy in bulk. All would involve a big shift away from our current nuclear households towards the kind of community approach we might imagine from a century ago.
To become carbon neutral as a parish will require that each household calculates its own carbon footprint, commits to reducing it, makes a plan to do so and monitors its footprint regularly. This can be engaging and interesting - especially for families with environmentally-aware children. In over-stressed and/or uninterested households, it's never going to happen.