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.

Activity 9

Imagine that you want to get active in an environmental campaign group. What exactly would it involve?

To find out where your nearest environmental campaign group is, and other information you think you would need, visit these websites:

  • Oxfam

  • Greenpeace

  • Friends of the Earth

Then, see if you can search online for a local organisation in your area. It might be a campaign group or a community group such as a co-housing projector a Transition Town How do the groups differ? Do you prefer the larger organisation or the smaller one?

Whether large or small, such groups provide a way of meeting other people who are interested in similar issues and taking action that builds on what you can do alone. There are many groups and networks, most of which can be found on the internet. It can be important to keep up to date with events, and many run email lists, electronic newsletters, online discussion forums and networking sites (for example, on Facebook) and post regular updates on their websites.

Activity 10

Here are some questions you may enjoy exploring either alone or with friends, family or colleagues.

  • To what extent are you now more able to make informed choices that move you towards a lowercarbon lifestyle?

  • Since starting this unit, what changes have you made to reduce your carbon footprint and which changes do you plan to make within the next month? Extending this, which changes will you make during the next year? Try writing a timetabled checklist of actions that you can work through.

  • Are there any changes you would like to make but can't because of external factors or limitations? If so, think about how you might work around this and, if possible, add them to your checklist.

  • What further evidence can you find that individual actions are an important part of wider action on climate change?

  • In the UK, what are the key policies needed to reduce carbon emissions in the transport and power-generation sectors?

  • What measures help or hinder the development of these policies?

  • Apart from national government, where does the responsibility lie for reducing carbon emissions?

Acknowledgements