Google searches for climate change beat Game of Thrones searches at the end of 2019! If this doesn’t indicate the importance of climate change and how it continues to rise up the agenda, we don’t what does. Covid 19 has stopped the world and this has shown us the HUGE difference it makes when we all change our habits.
Greta Thunberg: Climate change ‘as urgent’ as coronavirus. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53100800
In 2018 the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that we only have 12 years to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
Scarily, the number of floods and heavy rains has quadrupled since 1980, whilst extreme temperatures, droughts and wildfires have doubled.
TOP EMITTERS – before Covid 19
- The top three greenhouse gas emitters – China, the United States and the European Union – contribute more than 50% of total global emissions, while the bottom 100 countries only account for 3.5 percent.
- The agriculture industry accounts for about 25% of greenhouse gas emissions
- 20 companies are behind a third of all emissions
- Most of us have this one down already but unsurprisingly, taking public transport or even walking, rather than taking the car, significantly reduces your own footprint.
- Switching energy supplier at home is also an easy and effective way to go greener. Many energy suppliers offer green options, but there are also some specialist providers – many of which are increasingly price competitive. See what works for you, but Bulb and Ecotricity are our top picks!
- It might be hard at first but cutting down meat and dairy products from your diet can reduce your carbon footprint from food by up to 73% – and even further if you eat seasonal fruit and veg!
- You might struggle to cut out flying entirely once the world is back to normal post Covid 19, but next time you’re planning a holiday, think about a train to Paris, or perhaps a staycation in the UK.
If you want to calculate your own carbon footprint check out carbonfootprint.com .