Back in early summer 2021 when the world was preparing for COP26 and its anticipated importance for global action on climate change, I was getting increasingly anxious about the impact of climate change on our lives. I wasn’t quite sure what I as an individual could do and how one person could make a difference, but I decided that doing nothing was really not an option.
It’s not like summer 2021 was the wake up call moment for me in terms of accepting that we are in a climate change crisis. That moment had happened years before, after watching An Inconvenient Truth while at university. I had been changing my diet for the past five years already — first cutting out high carbon foods like beef and other meat, reducing my fish intake and generally eating mostly vegetarian (especially when cooking at home). But it was the moment where I decided I needed to do more.
At the time, I wasn’t aware of much of the climate science nor of the climate communication techniques or the best ways to reduce a person’s carbon footprint. I was mainly driven by stilling the growing anxiety in me.
But now, almost 10 months later, I am better informed, and I realise that the actions I started taking back in summer 2021 aren’t so radical after all. In fact, they are exactly what are needed on an individual level. And there is more I can do still.
In my day job, I started talking about COP26 and being in a policy role, took the opportunity to respond to COP26 in light of our work. This snowballed into developing a Climate Change Action Plan and environmental policy for the organisation I work for. And, more recently, the acceptance by our Board that ‘environment’ is a priority to focus on moving forward.
As a result of this work, I undertook carbon literacy training earlier this month. Carbon literacy is an awareness of climate change, and the climate impact of every day actions. Supported and promoted by the Carbon Literacy Trust, carbon literacy training uses the climate science to build capacity and knowledge to create a positive shift in how we work and behave in response to climate change.
As part of the training I learned about personal carbon footprints and effective climate communication. And after reading Mike Berners-Lee’s book How Bad Are Bananas I now feel more confident in taking more positive climate action and reducing my carbon footprint.
So here it goes.
My current carbon footprint is approximately 8.26 tonnes according to WWF’s environmental footprint calculator. This is significantly below the average 12.2 tonnes footprint in my local area. I don’t know how many people of my locality have calculated their footprint with this tool, but it’s also below the UK average of 13 tonnes per person. Yet it is still above the global average of 7 tonnes.
Part of the reason why my footprint is lower than the UK average is because of some active changes I have made in my lifestyle already. But it’s also luck and related convenience.
For example, I eat vegetarian, use a green energy provider, buy or receive secondhand clothing and products, and actively recycle. Other actions, such as not having a car and mostly using the bus for public transport are because of the convenience of living in London. And we do have a car-sharing subscription (but barely use it).
But there is, of course, more that I can do to reduce my carbon footprint.
The most obvious one being to cut out flights which, generally speaking, I do as I am a frequent train traveller, love Eurostar, and we have started to rethink our holidays. The second obvious one for any individual is to increase the energy efficiency of your home.
However, it’s a less easy option for us since we’re renting in London and can’t just invest in triple glazed windows or install solar panels. But we have made improvements here within our control by using energy saving lights and a smart heating and lighting system (thanks to my partner). Which turns out to be a good thing as over a third of my current footprint comes from the ‘home’ category — even more incentive to spend more time on our journey to a zero carbon home.
So what else can I do? For this, I turn to the WFF recommendations following my footprint calculation, Mike Berners-Lee’s book again, and to my carbon literacy training.
The additional significant changes that I can act on immediately include:
- Eat more in season and a variety of food that is produced locally (or at the very least not air freighted);
- Drive smart when we do drive — car sharing, removing excess weight, driving slower to increase fuel efficiency;
- Buy one well-made, more expensive type of clothing/shoes/products when I do buy new things to reduce the need for fast fashion and the need to replace things with cheaper alternatives;
- Push for change to help set new global norms and expected behaviours, and to show that addressing climate change is something for everyone.
That last point is really important. And it’s something that I have come to appreciate more in the last few months. While individual action is not going to change the world and address all our problems, it helps sets new norms and it makes it that little bit easier for others to change their lifestyle too. Because it’s accepted. It’s no longer out of the ordinary.
It’s also important to realise that climate action will look different for everyone — we need to encourage positivity; to show what is possible rather than to shame and blame. Everyone has a reason to care about climate change, and taking climate action can take many different forms. Mine just happened to be combining my passion for food and writing into climate action, and using my responsibilities at work to push for change.
In that spirit, and without realising it is an important positive climate communications technique, I set up More Than Broccoli to help others cook vegetarian more often — focusing on a change in habits once a week instead of trying to change people’s whole identity. It was meant to inspire my mum, and, along the way, everyone else who likes trying something new. I found it has led to more open conversations about climate change with colleagues and wider family members too.
It’s only one open-minded conversation that stands between us now and taking action on climate change.