What can I do as an individual about climate change

Introduction

There is now a strong global scientific consensus that climate change is real and due to CO₂ emissions from human use of fossil fuels. When considering action to reduce emissions, and prevent the worst impacts of climate change, large changes require Government intervention and changes in corporate behaviour. However, there are many important actions that can be taken in parallel by individuals in order to move towards a lower-carbon lifestyle.

Unit authored by Dr David Hubble

Learning outcomes

By the end of this unit you should be able to:

• understand the broad impacts of climate change in the UK;

• produce a personal carbon footprint;

• understand of a range of individual actions that can reduce a personal carbon footprint.

1 The need for individual change

1.1 Changes in the national and global climate

Whether it is our consumption of modern (often imported) products, food miles, household energy use, transport, or any number of other areas of activity associated with a modern lifestyle in a developed country, we emit more carbon dioxide (CO₂) than the planet's climate can handle. In the UK, over 40 per cent of CO₂ emissions come from the energy we use every day at home and when we travel. We can already see the effects of climate change in the UK with milder winters and changing rainfall patterns making droughts and floods more common.

During the last 40 years, winters in the UK have grown warmer, with heavier bursts of rain. Despite occasional wet periods that get a lot of media attention (such as the summer of 2007), our summers are growing drier and hotter, causing water shortages. The years 2003-2008 were the warmest since records began: for example, during August 2003, Kent experienced the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK at 38.5°C. More severe storms and rising sea levels erode the coastline, while heavy rains cause rivers to burst their banks more often, leading to flash floods. The floods during summer 2007 were caused by the heaviest rainfall since records began and resulted in the insurance industry paying out around £3 billion.

You can download a report by the Association of British Insurers on the UK's floods in 2007.

Scientific predictions indicate that, by the end of this century, the average yearly temperature of the UK will be between 1°C and 4.5°C hotter than today, depending on the levels of greenhouse gases. The land will heat up faster than the sea and the south-east more than the north-west. Summer and autumn will heat up more than winter and spring and, as nights become hotter and stickier, the temperatures we currently get at 7 p.m. could be experienced at 11 p.m. By 2100, we could face intense heatwaves into the mid 40s °C, similar to the heat that killed thousands of people across continental Europe in 2003. Wildlife will find it increasingly difficult to adapt, and many British species may disappear. Over the last 30 years, evidence has shown that spring is beginning earlier, but a major problem is that the change is not the same for all species groups. Plant responses to spring are now about 10 days earlier, insects about two weeks earlier and birds (migration and breeding) about a week earlier. This may disrupt the complex array of carefully balanced ecological relationships between species. Another way in which the effect on species will be seen is in our gardens as the weather affects what can grow. Equivalent patterns of change and their impacts are seen around the world.

You can see some of these effects illustrated in Nature's Calendar from The Woodland Trust.

1.2 Individual carbon footprints

Clearly, the problem of CO₂ emissions needs to be tackled, and one way is through individual changes. To help with this, it is useful to know how much CO₂ we emit individually through our current lifestyles. A good way to do this is to use the idea of a carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact of our activities on the environment, especially climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gas produced through burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) for things such as electricity, heating and transportation. It is a measurement of all the greenhouse gases we individually produce and is expressed in units of tonnes (or kg) of CO₂ equivalent. There are several different ways to calculate your carbon footprint – one of the best is this calculator. It allows you to calculate carbon footprints for different aspects of your life such as your home and different modes of transport.

2 How individuals can make changes

2.1 Individual actions: the basics

Wasting energy results in needless CO₂ emissions: for example, insufficient house insulation, leaving lights on unnecessarily or overfilling the kettle all waste energy (and money), as does overconsumption more generally. Although climate change is a reality, you can take action to reduce your energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, which will help to mitigate its effects.

There are three main ways you can do this:

1. Reduce your energy consumption at home.

2. Reduce your annual amount of travel.

3. Persuade your company to make a difference too.

These are very broad areas, so it is important to understand what specific personal actions you can take. Many of these fit with the idea of Reduce, Reuse, Repair and Recycle (‘the four Rs’), which combine to lower energy use and overall consumption.

Start by considering the following ten simple ways to save energy.

2.2 Individual actions: waste

In the UK, we produce around 335 million tonnes of waste per year. Of this, 30 million tonnes is household waste and the majority (nearly 70 per cent) is not recycled. In landfill, biodegradable waste, such as food and garden waste, produces methane (CH₄), a powerful greenhouse gas. There are more than 1500 landfill sites in the UK and, in 2001, they produced 25 per cent of the UK's methane emissions. Along with the unnecessary carbon emissions associated with creating waste in the first place, this means that household waste contributes to climate change. Recycling more, preventing waste food and composting at home all help to reduce this impact.

Recycling consumes less energy, and therefore produces less CO₂, than extracting and processing raw materials. In 2008, the amount recycled in the UK saved the same amount of CO₂ (18 million tonnes) as taking five million cars off the road, even with only 31 per cent of household waste being recycled or composted. Recycling also reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and processing raw materials, all of which cause substantial air and water pollution.

More than 95 per cent of the recycling collected is actually recycled; the remainder usually comprises the wrong sorts of material or is too dirty to be reprocessed. The recycled material is used to make new products, for example:

• All newspapers in the UK are now made from 100 per cent recycled paper.

• The UK currently recycles around 50 per cent of its glass containers; this has doubled over the last five years, and any glass product can use up to 80 per cent recycled material.

• About 25 two-litre drink bottles make one adult-size fleece jacket.

2.3 Individual actions: food production and food waste

A third of the food we buy in the UK is thrown away and nearly 20 per cent of our total CO₂ equivalent comes from producing, transporting, preparing and storing food and drink. So, a lot of waste means a lot of unnecessary emissions plus, of course, wasted money. If we stopped wasting food, it would have the same impact on carbon emissions as our current amount of recycling.

Food miles are also an important contributor to the carbon footprint of our food. Perishable food is increasingly transported by air, and even food grown in the UK may travel from the farm to a processor, to a wholesaler, then to a central distributor before returning to the local supermarket. The Women's Environmental Network (WEN) estimates that 25 per cent of the UK's CO₂ emissions come from transporting food. Imports account for 95 per cent of fruit and 50 per cent of all vegetables. The average distance we drive to shop for food is also increasing each year. One study found that a local apple from a village shop travelled 38 miles before being eaten; a British apple from a supermarket travelled 223 miles; and a New Zealand apple in a British supermarket travelled 11,326 miles. Processed food requires around fifteen times more energy to produce than raw, unprocessed food and contributes more to food miles as each ingredient is transported separately for processing and preparation. A ‘ready meal’ will have travelled many more miles than an identical meal prepared at home. The production of non-organic food also requires more energy because of the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides.

Despite these problems, there are many individual actions we can take as consumers to reduce the carbon footprint of what we eat and drink.

You can take these ideas further and get involved in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme. The principle is that the customer pays in advance for a share of farm produce. A farmer draws up plans for the year and customers sign up to purchase a share of the yield. It brings the customer one step nearer the grower than even farmers' markets and ensures that farmers know at the beginning of the planting season that they have a guaranteed market. This system originated in Japan and is well established in the USA; it is still very new in the UK but is beginning to grow.

You can find out more about food through the following web-based resources:

• Women's Environmental Network

• The food we waste

2.4 Individual actions: energy efficiency

So far, we have looked at some household basics, including waste and recycling, which help us to think about our lifestyles and how they impact on climate change. However, there is much more we can do as individuals.

Insulating your home is one of the most effective ways of improving its energy efficiency: for example, loft insulation can save around £200 and 1 tonne of CO₂ a year. There are many types of insulation: cavity wall, solid wall, floor, loft, draught proofing, tanks and pipes, and double glazing.

Most people use a range of household appliances and electronic goods that use energy and so contribute to CO₂ emissions. Therefore, more efficient products can help reduce emissions. One way to approach this is to look for products with the Energy Saving Recommended logo. These have to meet strict criteria: for example, fridges must be A+ (more energy efficient than A-rated products) and washing machines must be AAA – that is, A for energy, A for wash quality and A for spinning. New boilers must be efficiency-rated A or B, and currently only condensing boilers achieve this. The criteria are set by an independent panel and reviewed annually.

The UK's National Insulation Association website gives advice to UK householders.

The Centre for Alternative Technology gives advice on energy efficiency in the home.

2.5 Individual actions: timber

The world's largest forests (boreal and tropical) are important agents in tackling climate change, as plants lock away huge amounts of CO₂ through photosynthesis. For many countries, the greatest source of carbon emissions is deforestation, not to mention the loss of wildlife, habitat and indigenous people's way of life. Therefore, take care to buy only timber that has been sustainably harvested.

Several labels are given to timber but some are misleading and many have weak certification schemes. Therefore, it is best to stick to the standard – the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has certified over 100 million hectares of productive forests (around 7 per cent of the total) worldwide as sustainable. Better still, buy secondhand, recycled, reclaimed or waste timber – this is always more sustainable than buying new.

You can watch the video ‘Buyer be fair’ on the FSC website. There is also an independent report on FSC's effectiveness.

2.6 Individual actions: energy generation

Most of the UK's electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels, which is a major contributor to climate change. Carbon-free sources, including nuclear and renewable energy, account for around 25 per cent of total electricity production. Renewables, or ‘green’ electricity, account for just 4 per cent but this should increase through policies such as the government's Renewables Obligation, which requires electricity suppliers to source an increasing proportion of renewable electricity. Renewable energy can be generated in several ways: wind power (onshore and offshore); solar (water heating, photovoltaics or PVs, and passive solar design); wave and tidal; biomass; heat pumps; hydroelectric; and geothermal.

Although you as an individual might be unable to directly change how large-scale energy production is managed, there are some things you can do.

First, don't forget the Sun! It is the most readily available source of heat and the cheapest. Open internal doors of sunny rooms and let the warm air travel through your home. Avoid using tumble driers and radiators to dry your clothes on sunny days when they can be put outside.

The next easiest action is to change your electricity supply to green power – most energy companies offer ‘green’ electricity tariffs that support renewable energy. The two main types are green supply tariffs and green funds. A green supply tariff means that some or all of the electricity you buy is ‘matched’ by purchases of renewable energy by your energy supplier on your behalf. These could come from a variety of renewable sources and your supplier should let you know what is included in the mix, and what proportion of your supply is renewable. A green fund generally involves paying a premium to contribute to a fund that will be used to support new renewable energy developments. The cost of generating electricity from renewable energy sources can be slightly higher. Under this option, the existing electricity supply continues as normal, but contributions help to alter the mix towards renewable sources.

You can find a green tariffs guide on the Consumer Focus website.

You could also generate some of your own energy (heat and/or electricity) by renewable microgeneration. Renewable technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines and biomass heaters are increasingly popular and can be effective alternatives to fossil fuels, helping you to meet your own energy requirements and reduce CO₂ emissions. Microgeneration can be defined as the production of heat and/or electricity on a small scale from a low carbon source and can cover homes, businesses, schools and communities. The following renewables are suitable for microgeneration.

The Centre for Alternative Technology describes forms of microgeneration and the UK government has a Microgeneration Strategy.

If you install a renewable technology that produces electricity, you may be able to get paid for the electricity it produces. The most common way to do this is to sign up to a buy-back scheme with an energy supplier. There are two main tariffs available to do this.

• Export tariffs: you are only paid for the electricity that is exported back to the electricity network (you are not paid for any electricity you use).

• Generation tariffs: you are paid for all the electricity that your system has generated even if you use it in your home.

There are also some ‘set price tariffs’ where a fixed amount is paid by the energy supplier based on the type or capacity of the installation.

2.7 Individual actions: water

Water companies use large amounts of energy to supply high-quality mains water to our homes. We then use more energy heating it for baths, showers and washing up. On average, a person in the UK uses about 150 litres of water every day, and much of this is wasted in brushing our teeth or flushing the toilet. For example, a dripping tap can waste as much as 5,500 litres of water a year, which is enough to fill a paddling pool every week for the whole summer.

However, some quick and easy changes at home can save large amounts of water, both indoors and outdoors: for example, attaching a water butt to your guttering to use the collected rainwater for watering the garden, and taking a shower instead of a bath (an ordinary shower uses only 40% of the water needed for a bath).

You can visit the following websites for advice:

• harvesting rainwater

• re-using grey water (waste water from domestic activities like washing up

• saving water indoors

• saving water outdoors

Similar approaches can be applied to water use in the workplace. Every business has different water needs, from a small office to a large manufacturing plant. The following are some general water-saving tips that businesses can adapt to their own needs.

• Raise awareness of water efficiency issues.

• Know where supply pipes run and where the shut-off valves are.

• Check meters at night or when no water is being used to monitor leakage.

• Protect pipes against cold weather as leakage can increase after a burst caused by frost.

• Use water-efficient appliances and devices in bathrooms, canteens and kitchens.

• Determine where wasted water is going and how you could recycle it in other areas of your business.

• Where possible, use a water butt to harvest rainwater for use in your business.

• Assess water-using equipment to make sure there is no overfilling.

• Set water usage targets.

• If your water supplier offers water audits and/or a personalised water-management package to improve water efficiency for your business, consider using this service.

3 Individual actions: transport

3.1 Walking and cycling

Transport is the fastest growing source of CO₂ emissions in the UK with road transport alone accounting for 26 per cent of emissions. Aviation makes up 13 per cent of our climate impact with people in the UK flying more, per capita, than in any other country on Earth. Emissions are rising because the building of more roads and airports leads people to drive and fly more. Meanwhile, the average cost of a one-way air fare fell by 49 per cent between 1997 and 2006; during the same period, rail fares rose by 7 per cent. (See the Hansard Report on UK transport costs.

Although it depends on where you live and work, there are various changes you can make to reduce the carbon emissions from your travel on land. For example, rather than driving, use public transport if it is available. Alternatively, if you are able-bodied, you could cycle or walk. These suggestions may sound obvious but they are important points – many people want to spend less time in their cars but don't see the alternatives as being viable. However, research suggests that reducing car use can be achieved with the appropriate planning and services.

Walking and cycling are the two least polluting modes of transport and both have huge health benefits. The National Cycle Network consists of over 12,000 miles of walking and cycle routes and 75% of the UK population lives within two miles of a route.

One easy way to cut road use is to use alternatives for short journeys (such as the school run), while the following initiatives can also be set up for the workplace.

• Raise awareness of the health benefits of walking.

• Provide a map showing walking routes to the most common destinations and facilities near your workplace.

• Designate 'walk-in' days.

• Canvass staff about what would encourage them to walk and what barriers they face.

• Ensure footpaths to and on site are direct, well lit and well maintained.

• Prevent car parking on pavements and at dropped kerbs.

• Talk to the local planning authority about improving routes.

• Provide cloakroom facilities with storage lockers.

• Provide a pool of umbrellas (possibly with the company logo).

• Issue pedometers to staff so they can track their progress.

• On larger sites, consider bringing facilities (such as a hairdresser or dry cleaner) on site to reduce the need for people to drive into town at lunchtime.

• For staff who have concerns about personal security, provide personal alarms.

• Flexi-time may encourage more people to walk, particularly if they are constrained by school times.

• Introduce disincentives for driving to work, such as providing parking spaces on only some days, or not at all, to people living within a certain distance.

You may also find the following helpful:

• Walk to School – a campaign run by the charity Living Streets with funding from the government's Department for Transport.

• Cycling England – a campaign run by the Department for Transport.

• CTC cycling instructors.

• Journeys using public transport can be planned with the help of Traveline and Better Transport.

3.2 Using cars

Despite the alternatives, some journeys will need a car. However, responsible car use can still help reduce the climate impact of such journeys. One easy option is ‘eco-driving’: adopting a more efficient driving style, keeping tyres up to pressure and planning ahead to avoid hurrying all reduce fuel use.

There are also car clubs and car-sharing schemes, which blur the boundaries between public and private transport. Car clubs do this through quick and easy short-term car hire, for instance for a big shopping trip or a journey where there is no public transport. This means that households can reduce the number of cars they own. There are a range of car clubs in the UK from small, community-based enterprises to large commercial companies. To aid the shift to more sustainable transport, partnerships can be developed between car clubs and public transport operators, to the mutual benefit of both. For example, on joining a car club, a new car club member might receive a discounted bus season ticket to encourage combining car club use with increased public transport use.

Car sharing (also known as lift sharing or ride sharing) is when two or more people share a car and travel together. One person is usually the vehicle's owner and the other(s) usually contribute towards the fuel costs. Of course, car sharing can be organised independently, but wider schemes increase the chance of matching those needing and those offering lifts. It retains the convenience of the car, while reducing the associated problems of congestion and pollution. Employers can help by providing priority parking spaces for car sharers near building entrances.

Visit the CarPlus website, which promotes responsible car use.

3.3 Choosing a car

The choice of vehicle is also important. The simplest choice is to avoid high-emissions vehicles such as urban four-wheel drives and to aim for the lowest emissions vehicle that will do what you really need it for. However, it is not simply the case that big cars are bad while small cars are good. Research also shows that most car buyers are motivated by cost, although for Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) to have an effect, despite increases, the higher bands need to be much more expensive than they are currently.

Similarly, there are a variety of fuel alternatives (e.g. diesel, petrol, hybrid, LPG, electric, hydrogen and vegetable oil) and it has become clear that most people do not understand the fuel efficiency and carbon emissions information given in car advertisements. As well as environmental benefits, green cars offer lower fuel, tax and (in some areas, parking) costs, and appear to command a better resale value.

For advice on buying a ‘green’ car see:

• the Green Car Guide

• the Green Car Guide's ‘Why buy a green car?’.

3.4 Biofuels

Biofuels were hailed as a possible solution to reducing carbon emissions with vehicles running on biodiesel. However, this quickly led to food price increases as farmland was converted to monoculture biofuel cash crops, and worsened deforestation as forests were cleared for further farm expansion. You can find a critical analysis of biofuels at:

• Biofuelwatch

• Centre for Alternative Technology

However, converting vehicles to use refined used vegetable oil causes no such environmental problems. This is an example of the need to look at the choice of fuel as well as the choice of vehicle (see ‘diesel conversion’).

3.5 Aviation

Moving on from cars to aircraft, aviation is a fast-growing contributor to climate change. Aircraft emissions are also more harmful to the climate than other activities that create CO₂ as gases are emitted at a high altitude where they have a greater effect on the atmosphere.

Most studies show that passenger air travel produces far more emissions than other modes of transport. It is difficult to produce exact figures as they need to be calculated for a specific aircraft on a specific journey, which means there are several variables. However, a study by CE Delft concludes that CO₂ emissions by aircraft are anything from three to ten times higher than rail for medium distance journeys of 500 kilometres. For longer journeys of 1500 kilometres, air travel is a little better in terms of emissions per passenger kilometre but still about two to six times worse than rail travel.

Airportwatch compares emissions for different modes of transport. You can use this and Transport Direct to see how planning your journeys differently can reduce the carbon emissions relating to your travel.

4 Carbon offsetting

One commonly used option to reduce carbon emissions is carbon offsetting where businesses and individuals compensate for their carbon emissions by paying an offset company to invest in renewable energy, afforestation or similar schemes. Carbon offsetting is still new and exactly how effective it is remains unclear. However, those that invest in renewable energy or energy efficiency projects and can prove that they reduce CO₂ emissions are probably best. Many schemes involve tree planting, bioenergy or capturing gas from existing industrial plants but are less likely to be effective as they don't invest in the infrastructure needed for a low-carbon future.

There are currently no compulsory legal guidelines for offset companies, but standards have been set by several accreditation bodies, for example DEFRA's Code of Best Practice and the Gold Standard. However effective an offsetting scheme, it is still better to reduce emissions in the first place. There is more information on the following websites:

• the government's Quality Assurance Scheme for Carbon Offsetting

• The Gold Standard ‘Premium Quality Carbon Standards

5 The limitations of individual change

So far, we have looked at individual actions across a wide range of common activities and seen how changes can be made to reduce our carbon footprints.

Some of these changes are cheap and easy (such as simple efficiency measures or changes to transport habits) while others may be more complex (such as implementing changes in the workplace or generating our own energy). However, they are all achievable as individual actions, or at least in partnership with colleagues.

Now it is important to consider whether there are limits to individual actions and, if so, how they may be overcome. One good example is the use of household electricity.

As you have seen, there are many actions that can be taken but we can't directly change the low efficiencies of UK power stations and the current centralised National Grid. Around twothirds of all the electricity produced in the UK is wasted, mainly as heat from power stations, with a few per cent lost during transfer along power lines. This all happens before electricity reaches our homes and workplaces where individual efficiency measures can be effective. This means that, although our actions are important (in fact, essential in the long term), they are limited by inefficiencies and waste elsewhere.

With campaigns aimed at individuals aiming to achieve 20 per cent carbon reductions per person but scientific predictions indicating strongly that total reductions need to be around 80 per cent (estimates vary) by 2050, clearly individual actions are only part of the solution (although an essential part). However, this doesn't mean that the actions described so far are all you can do.

Although it is the responsibility of the government and large companies to lead the way, their decisions are not always as effective at reducing carbon emissions as they could be. Therefore, there is an important role for individuals as volunteers in campaign groups. This could be as a member of the local group of a larger environmental organisation (such as Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth) or a development organisation (such as Oxfam) or a smaller ‘grassroots’ organisation, possibly focusing on a single local issue.

Acknowledgements

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Text

Unit authored by Dr David Hubble

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Links

All links accessed 27 November 2009.